Girl Summit was launched in 2016 to align with the global theme of the 2016 International Day of the Girl, 'Girls' Progress = Goals' Progress: A Global Girl Data Movement'. The Girl Summit sought to celebrate Nigeria's girls and spotlight girls’ inclusion in the global SDGs and what that meant for Nigeria's girls. The activity-based event targeted to engage, entertain, and educate girls about their importance in the development of their communities, the Country, and the world at large. The event also mobilized the support of relevant stakeholders and critical actors who directly shape and influence policy affecting girls in Nigeria. Discussing the topic, 'Connecting Girls Voices through data', the girls highlighted the need to collect, analyze and manage girl-focused, girl-relevant, and sex-disaggregated data that would effectively inform key policy and program decisions and adequately measure and understand the opportunities and challenges girls face as well as identify and track progress towards solutions to their most pressing needs.

The Girl Summit was a unique event – the first of its kind – with creative innovation attracting a focused group of adolescent girls within the FCT. The girls actively engaged interactive discussions and presented a Communiqué at the end of the Summit which was advanced to relevant stakeholders to act to significantly influence policy for girls. This is how girls' voices are empowered and girls are positioned to own their message and make their voices count! The Girl Summit 2016 was successfully implemented on 11th October 2016 with support from Plan International Nigeria. The event was attended by adolescent girls from some public and private secondary schools within the FCT and reached a substantial number of girls as desired. 100 girls attended and participated at the event and comprised the primary target beneficiaries of the event. Also in attendance were teachers representing the schools present (and chaperoning the girls), the representative of the FCT Secondary Education Board, and development partners representing some development organizations Plan International Nigeria, Speakers' Corner Trust Nigeria, Girl Pride Circle, and media personnel from various television and radio stations. The tone of the Summit was simple and engaging to reach the girls and mobilize their interaction. The programme of events was spot-on and targeted girls and young women as session leads, paper, and keynote presenters. The girls were actively involved in co-anchoring the event, singing the National Anthem and other advocacy songs, poetry rendition, plenary discussions, questions, and contributions. Follow some of the highlights here: #GirlData #IDG2016 #Girls2030

The Girl Summit Project was a pioneer project, intended to replicate and scale up in future years to reach girls in other states of the country and someday connect to like initiatives around the world. It is a non-partisan initiative which supports girls’ education as a strategy to empower and position girls as active voices advocating issues affecting girls in Nigeria and across the world.