The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched the “Yes! Girl” Podcast, a digital platform created by teenage girls in Nigeria to allow girls openly discuss issues affecting their lives.
The youth-driven podcast is designed as a safe space where adolescent girls can share their experiences, perspectives, and ideas about challenges they face while growing up in Nigeria.
According to UNICEF, the platform focuses on giving girls a stronger voice on topics that directly affect them, including education, mental health, menstrual health, gender equality, leadership, climate action, and access to accurate health information.
The podcast was officially introduced during an event held at Nile Cinema in Enugu as part of activities marking the 2026 International Women’s Day celebrated globally on March 8.
UNICEF said the initiative reflects a broader effort to move beyond discussions about girls and instead create opportunities for girls to speak for themselves.
Ngozi Songu, Adolescent Development Specialist at UNICEF’s Enugu Area Office, said the podcast was created specifically for girls aged nine to 19 years, enabling them to talk freely about the issues shaping their lives.
She explained that the initiative was intentionally designed to give girls ownership of the conversation.
“The Yes! Girl Podcast provides a safe and empowering space for girls aged 9–19 years to speak openly about issues affecting their lives,” Songu said.
She noted that many adolescent girls across Nigeria continue to face serious barriers that limit their ability to express themselves or participate in decisions that affect them.
Such challenges, she said, include school dropout, harmful gender norms, early marriage, limited access to health information, and the absence of safe spaces where girls can discuss their experiences.
Songu said the podcast represents a shift in approach by placing girls at the centre of conversations about their future.
“This event is significant because it shifts the narrative from speaking about girls to listening to girls,” she said.
According to her, the platform allows girls to share their stories directly while also proposing solutions to problems they experience in their communities.
“The Yes! Girl Podcast places girls at the centre of the conversation not as beneficiaries, but as leaders, storytellers, and advocates for change,” Songu said.
She added that digital storytelling is becoming an important tool for expanding access to dialogue spaces, especially in communities where open conversations about issues affecting girls are often limited.
“It also demonstrates how digital storytelling can expand access to safe dialogue spaces, especially for girls in communities where such conversations are often limited,” she said.
Through the podcast, UNICEF hopes that girls’ voices will influence policies, programmes, and investments that affect their future.
Songu said the initiative aligns with the theme of the 2026 International Women’s Day, which is “Rights. Justice. Action. For All Women and Girls.”
She explained that the organisation is focusing on key priorities aimed at empowering girls across Nigeria.
One of these priorities involves amplifying girls’ voices through platforms such as the Yes! Girl Podcast and U-Report so that girls can directly speak about their challenges and the solutions they believe can improve their lives.
Another priority is expanding access to information and services that support adolescent girls, including education opportunities, menstrual health support, HPV prevention awareness, mental health assistance, and safe learning environments.
UNICEF is also working to strengthen girls’ leadership and participation by supporting youth networks and encouraging girls to actively take part in decision-making spaces.
This includes involvement in community dialogues as well as participation in advocacy discussions at national level.
Songu said empowering girls produces wider benefits for society.
“Girls are not just beneficiaries of development — they are powerful leaders, innovators, and advocates for change,” she said.
“When we create spaces for girls to speak, we unlock solutions that transform communities.”
She said platforms such as the Yes! Girl Podcast ensure that girls’ experiences are recognised and that their ideas contribute to shaping a more equal future.
“The Yes! Girl Podcast is about ensuring that every girl’s voice counts — and that her ideas help shape a more equal and just future for Nigeria,” she said.
Mrs Esther Mbah, who represented the Enugu State Ministry of Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development at the event, expressed support for initiatives focused on empowering the girl child.
She said the state government welcomed programmes that provide opportunities for girls to grow, speak, and develop leadership skills.
Also speaking at the event, the Enugu State Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Annie Enweani, emphasised that women and girls have the right to occupy leadership positions just like men.
She described the initiative as a meaningful way to mark the 2026 International Women’s Day.
Female students from several secondary schools across the state participated in the launch event and engaged in discussions around the issues addressed by the podcast.
