Abuja, Feb. 6, 2026 (NAN) WAVE Foundation Africa, an NGO has reaffirmed its commitment to scale-up community-led prevention programmes, strengthen survivor support systems, and bridge grassroots realities with global advocacy platforms to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
The President, Ms Lola Ibrahim, made the commitment on Friday in Abuja in a statement to commemorate the 2026 International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an estimated 4.5 million girls, many under the age of five, are at risk of undergoing FGM.
It added that if current trends continue, 22.7 million additional girls will be affected by 2030.
It also says more than 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM with global treatment costs estimated to be at least USD 1.4 billion every year.
Ibrahim described the practice as a violation of fundamental human rights, a public health concern, and a profound injustice that robs girls of their autonomy before they even have a voice.
While noting the foundation’s efforts in ending FGM in Nigeria and across Africa, she stressed the need to confront silence, challenge tradition and place the rights of girls above all else.
“We have seen communities change when they are engaged with respect, evidence, and empathy.
“Change is possible, and it is already happening,’’ she said.
She noted that in spite of the progress recorded, FGM persists due to entrenched norms, misinformation, and weak enforcement of existing laws.
“Our aspiration is simple but urgent: a generation of girls who will never have to heal from a practice that should have ended long ago.
“The work ahead demands political will, sustainable financing, and community ownership,” she said.
Ibrahim, however, committed to ensuring that FGM becomes history.
She also appreciated partners, donors, volunteers, media allies, traditional and religious leaders, government institutions, and fellow civil society organisations for their support in ending FGM practice.
“Ending FGM is a collective responsibility. Every partner who has stood with us locally and globally has helped push the needle closer to zero,” she said.
She also urged stakeholders to move beyond rhetorics to decisive action in the fight to end FGM practices. (NAN)
