Nigeria's Government Launches N140.8bn Plan to End Child Marriage

The federal government of Nigeria has announced a five-year plan to eliminate child marriage by 2030, with an estimated funding requirement of N140.8 billion. This was revealed during the launch of the National Strategy and Costed Action Plan on Ending Child Marriage in Nigeria (2025–2030) in collaboration with the Kano State Ministry of Women Affairs and UNICEF.

Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, the Minister of Women Affairs, stated that the strategy aims to convert the government's commitment to protecting girls into actionable results, emphasizing the need for increased school retention, community abandonment of harmful practices, and a reduction in child marriage rates. The plan's financial framework, presented by Musa Aliyu Musa, the ministry’s Director of Economic Services, indicates that the Federal Government will cover 60 percent of the funding, while development partners will contribute the remaining 40 percent.

The Chief of UNICEF Field Office in Kano, Mr Shafeeq Ur-Rehman, highlighted that 33.4 percent of young women in Nigeria are married before 18, with higher rates in the North-West and North-East regions.