2026 STAKEHOLDER'S MEETING
Prof. Ayo M.J Oduola, in his address at the event, called for concerted efforts to address the challenges that undermine the development of resilience in adolescents and youths. Decrying the inability of this cohort to access the benefits of the advancements in global health especially on account of preventable causes, he described the 2025 stakeholders’ forum as a platform to provide tangible opportunities for cross-sectoral dialogues, cocreation, and collective reflection on strategies that could strengthen resilience and enhance developmental outcomes for adolescents and youths in Africa
Some guests at the UI-Research Foundation event: (From L): Prof. Ayo MJ Oduola, Director, UI-Research Foundation; Prof. Adenike Akinjobi, the Chair, UI Ceremonials Committee; Prof. Adenike Emeke (rep. Board Chairman, UI-Research Foundation, Rt. Hon. Uduimo Itsueli); Mr Ganiyu Oke Saliu, Registrar, University of Ibadan; Prof. Oluyemisi Bamgbose, erstwhile Deputy ViceChancellor (Research, Innovation, and Strategic Partnerships); Prof. Juwon Tunde Arotiba (Rep., Prof. Kayode Adebowale, University of Ibadan Vice-Chancellor); Prof. Babatunde Salako, former DG, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR); Prof. Augustine Abiodun Adeoye (rep. Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare)
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to leveraging innovative research and collaborative partnerships to bolster adolescent and youth health policies in Nigeria and Africa. The Vice Chancellor added that the stakeholders’ forum had continued to stand out as a platform to reflect on the vital contributions that academic institutions make to the roles that science, technology, and community engagement play in addressing the health challenges faced by the growing population of adolescents and youths, who constitute approximately 30% of Nigeria’s teeming population.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, urged adolescents and youths to speak up whenever they needed help reinstating that they were the intelligentsia of the nation. He also advocated for the domestication and implementation of policies, strategies, and interventions that would enable young people to access the information and care that would improve their lives.