Pads for Her Pushes Menstrual Health to Nigeria’s Policy Frontline

|By Chinwendu Nwani

A youth-led non-governmental organization, Pads for Her Initiative, has announced plans to host a high-level Policy Roundtable on Advancing Menstrual Health Through Policy Action in Abuja on September 18, 2025.

The event, held in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, will rally top stakeholders from government, civil society, the private sector, development partners, and youth-led groups to craft policies that tackle Nigeria’s deepening menstrual health crisis.

Despite rising awareness on menstrual hygiene, millions of Nigerian women and girls—especially in rural and underserved communities—still battle with limited access to affordable sanitary products and proper menstrual education.

Founder of Pads for Her Initiative, Amarachi Blessing Ojimmah, stressed that piecemeal interventions are not enough:

 “Menstrual health is not a luxury; it is a fundamental human right. Long-lasting change will only happen when menstrual equity becomes a policy priority.”

The roundtable will spotlight three urgent demands:

1. Abolishing VAT on menstrual products to lower costs for low-income women and girls.

2. Enforcing existing menstrual health policies to ensure Nigeria’s National Policy on Menstrual Hygiene Management is implemented.

3. Boosting local production of sanitary products through tax incentives, subsidies, and regulatory reforms.

Key ministries, lawmakers, regulatory agencies, UN partners, and local manufacturers are expected at the forum, which aims to produce a joint communique, concrete policy endorsements, and commitments to expand access to affordable menstrual products nationwide.

Pads for Her Initiative insists the dialogue is not just about pads, but about equity, dignity, and public health.