A new policy brief has shown that strategic investment in adolescent girls in Northern Nigeria could unlock transformative social and economic gains for the region and the country, offering returns valued in the billions of dollars.
The analysis finds that investing US$114 million over four years to scale up proven programmes in Kano and Kaduna States would reach 1.1 million girls, generate 3.9 million additional years of schooling, avert 327,000 child marriages, prevent 383,000 adolescent pregnancies, save 3,651 adolescent mothers’ lives, reduce 35,675 under-five deaths, and deliver an estimated US$2.5 billion in economic returns—a 21-to-1 return on investment.
Experts say the findings provide compelling evidence that educating girls is not only a moral priority but Nigeria’s most cost-effective development strategy.
Despite some progress, the education gap remains stark. More than 7.6 million girls across Nigeria are out of school, with half of them in the northern regions. Secondary school completion rates remain low, averaging 34 percent nationally but only 28 percent in the Northwest. Without schooling, girls face increased risks of early marriage, intimate partner violence, poor health outcomes, and long-term poverty.
The Centre for Girls’ Education (CGE) in Kaduna, which has pioneered community-based interventions for more than a decade, is one of the key organisations informing the new analysis. Speaking to policymakers, development partners, educators, and community stakeholders, CGE Executive Director Habiba Mohammed issued a call for Nigeria to expand opportunities for every girl—whether married or unmarried, in school or out of school, and regardless of age or background.
Mohammed highlighted the organisation’s holistic model, which supports girls aged 4 to 24 through literacy, numeracy, life skills, vocational training, mentorship, and safe-space programming both in school and within communities.
“We work with girls at every stage,” she said. “We train teachers to become mentors, and this creates ripple effects that reach far beyond our direct beneficiaries.”
CGE’s approach involves close collaboration with parents, religious and community leaders, husbands of married adolescents, school officials, and government agencies, ensuring that interventions align with local realities. The organisation also works with local education authorities to secure school placements for returning learners and ensure smooth transitions between grade levels.
Mohammed recalled how the advocacy of a CGE beneficiary, Sakina, led to a major policy reform in Kaduna State. During a Malala Fund–supported visit, Sakina urged the state governor to eliminate school fees. Her appeal resulted in the removal of fees from primary to senior secondary school, opening classrooms to thousands of children.
“The voice of the girl was powerful,” Mohammed said. “When the right stakeholders listen, no girl is left behind.”
She stressed that married adolescents can thrive academically when supported with child care, mentorship, and understanding family structures. Sharing her own experience of completing university while raising three children, she underscored that “marriage does not stop education, and education does not stop marriage.”
Mohammed noted that girls in CGE safe spaces build critical life skills that strengthen resilience and independence. The organisation’s Jolie-Phoenix phonics-based literacy method, which blends songs and interactive lessons, has significantly improved reading and writing among girls who once struggled with basic literacy.
Beyond academics, CGE offers modules to support survivors of gender-based violence, helping them rebuild emotional resilience and regain control of their lives.
However, insecurity—from insurgency to communal conflict—remains a major challenge. Mohammed said CGE relies on strong community partnerships to safeguard girls and mentors. “The safety of mentors, staff, and girls is a priority,” she said.
She urged state governments to enact policies enabling married or pregnant adolescents to return to school without stigma or barriers. CGE research shows that in some communities, secondary school transition rates rose from 4 percent to 82 percent after a single year of life skills programming.
“This demonstrates what is possible when girls gain confidence and support,” she added. “Government must now create room for every girl to learn.”
Mohammed said that with sustained investment and coordinated partnerships across government, civil society, donors, and community stakeholders, the North could witness a historic transformation.
“The only thing we need is to educate the girl child,” she said. “When girls are supported academically, emotionally, and socially, they thrive—and when girls thrive, communities prosper.”
