14.10.2026
The President Bola Tinubu administration has proposed N84.48 billion to implement a five-year national strategy to end child marriage by 2030.
Women affairs and social development minister, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, disclosed Tuesday night at the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child commemoration in Kano and the launch of the North-West strategy to end child marriage, that the National Strategy and Costed Action Plan on Ending Child Marriage in Nigeria, 2025–2030, would provide a framework for implementation, financing, monitoring and accountability.
The minister said the strategy targets the root causes of child marriage, including poverty, insecurity, school exclusion and harmful traditional practices.
According to her, Kano is strategically positioned to serve as a model for nationwide implementation because of its influence in Northern Nigeria.
She identified scholarships for girls, free bus transportation for female students and the domestication of school re-entry guidelines for married adolescents as initiatives supporting girls’ education in Kano.
Ms Sulaiman-Ibrahim said the Tinubu government was strengthening the implementation of the Child Rights Act and working with state governments to coordinate interventions against child marriage. She added that the plan would require clear funding arrangements and defined responsibilities for institutions implementing the strategy at national and subnational levels.
In a presentation by Musa Aliyu-Musa, director of economic services in the ministry, the federal government estimated the cost of implementing the strategy over five years at N140.802 billion.
He said the government was expected to provide 60 per cent, amounting to N84.481 billion, while development partners would contribute the remaining 40 per cent, amounting to N56.320 billion.
The strategy identifies six intervention areas, including enforcing legal frameworks, changing harmful social and cultural norms, empowering adolescents and communities, strengthening child protection services, and improving monitoring and data generation.
The plan also seeks to strengthen coordination among government institutions, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations and development partners to ensure effective implementation.
Data presented at the event indicated that 17.5 million Nigerian girls and women had been married before the age of 18, while 6.5 million were married before age 15.
The strategy aims to reduce child marriage through legal reforms, community engagement, education, economic empowerment and stronger protection systems, to end the practice by 2030. NAN