Malala Fund Invests in Youth-Led Initiative to Combat Child Marriage Through Education in Nigeria
In a significant move to address the persistent issue of child marriage in Nigeria, the Malala Fund has announced substantial support for a youth-led coalition working to position girls' education as the primary strategy to end this harmful practice. The initiative comes as evidence clearly demonstrates that when girls complete their education, marriage is significantly delayed, offering a powerful solution to a problem that affects millions of Nigerian girls.
The Alarming Statistics of Child Marriage in Nigeria
Nigeria faces a severe child marriage crisis, with more than thirty percent of girls married before reaching eighteen years of age. The situation is particularly dire in the Northeast and Northwest regions, where rates can soar as high as fifty percent. This practice persists largely because girls are frequently forced out of school, with marriage becoming the default alternative when educational opportunities disappear.
The tipping point is clearly identified as school dropout – when girls leave educational institutions, marriage often becomes their only perceived path forward. Conversely, when they remain in school through secondary education, marriage is consistently delayed, providing crucial years for personal development and empowerment.
Strategic Grant to Activate National Policy
The Malala Fund has committed to a two-year Joint Action Grant (JAG) that will support coordinated advocacy and implementation efforts across Nigeria, with particular focus on five northern states: Adamawa, Borno, Kano, Kaduna, and Bauchi. This grant specifically backs a coalition of four organizations with complementary strengths in policy advocacy, grassroots mobilization, research, and coalition-building.
The coalition is led by Education As a Vaccine (EVA), working in partnership with YouthHubAfrica (YHA), the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA), and Onelife Initiative. Together, these organizations bring proven experience in translating national commitments into state-level action and supporting implementation of important legislation like the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act.
Evidence-Based Approach with Significant Returns
New research from Accelerate Hub – an Africa-focused research and evidence hub led by teams at the University of Oxford and University of Cape Town – provides compelling data supporting this educational approach. Their analysis indicates that reaching more unmarried, out-of-school adolescent girls in Northern Nigeria with effective programs, including education support, could reduce child marriage by approximately two-thirds within just four years.
The research models an investment of $114 million that could deliver economic returns more than twenty-one times the initial investment. Specifically, investing in combined programs including community engagement, education support, and skills training could prevent an estimated 327,000 child marriages in Northern Nigeria while delivering this remarkable 21-to-1 economic return.
Comprehensive Strategy for Lasting Change
Nabila Aguele, Chief Executive for Nigeria at Malala Fund, emphasized that "ending child marriage requires political will coupled with a clear path forward, not just good intentions." She noted that this grant specifically backs youth leaders to drive collective action and move Nigeria's National Strategy off paper and into implementation with clear state plans, real financing, and accountability for measurable results.
Through the JAG initiative, the coalition will pursue several key objectives:
- Advocate for states to activate and domesticate the National Strategy to End Child Marriage with education as its core driver
- Generate research evidence on what keeps girls out of school and what brings them back in the five focus states
- Advocate for states to adopt and implement national re-entry policies so married and pregnant girls can return to learning
- Work with government ministries and civil society to position education as the primary policy response to child marriage
- Push for state action plans with clear timelines, education financing, and public accountability mechanisms
Breaking the Cycle Through Education
Toyin Chukwudozie, Executive Director of Education As a Vaccine, highlighted the transformative potential of this initiative: "Every girl has the right to complete twelve years of education, and when she does, child marriage becomes far less likely. This partnership is about keeping girls in school through secondary education by fixing the gaps that push them out."
She emphasized that protecting a girl's education doesn't just change her individual life – it breaks the cycle of child marriage for future generations. The evidence is unequivocal: comprehensive, girl-centered approaches offer one of Nigeria's most cost-effective paths to ending child marriage while delivering substantial economic returns for the nation.
As Nigeria continues to grapple with this deeply entrenched issue, this youth-led coalition backed by Malala Fund represents a promising, evidence-based approach that recognizes education as both a fundamental right and a powerful policy solution to one of the country's most persistent social challenges.
