Alongside our partners, we call on the Nigerian government to allocate at least 15% of the national budget to education and ensure resources reach girls in underserved regions.
Malala Fund and its partners urge the Nigerian government to prioritise girls’ education in the 2025 budget by significantly increasing funding to ensure every girl can learn in a safe and supportive environment.
In recent years, Nigeria has allocated 5-8% of its national budget to education, significantly below the 15-20% benchmark recommended by UNESCO. This underinvestment has left millions of children, especially girls, without access to quality education. Girls in marginalised communities, particularly in the north, face multiple challenges including poverty, insecurity and socio-cultural barriers that hinder their access to education.
“Investing in education is the single most transformative step Nigeria can take to unlock the potential of girls and build a more equitable future,” said Nabila Aguele, Chief Executive of Malala Fund Nigeria. “Girls in underserved regions, who have the most to gain from education, deserve dedicated resources to remove barriers to learning. The 2025 budget is an opportunity to right this wrong and invest in their future.”
Some states are making significant progress in tackling barriers to education for girls. Kano state, for example, allocated 31% of their 2025 budget to education. “This allocation affirms the efforts of stakeholders and reflects an increased commitment to girls’ education,” said Sani Muhammad, Executive Director of Bridge Connect Africa Initiative and Malala Fund Education Champion.
In Oyo state, 21% of their 2025 budget is allocated to education, continuing a trend of increased investment. However, Bukky Shonibare, Executive Director of Invictus Africa and Malala Fund Education Champion, noted the absence of dedicated budget lines for girls’ education. “While these general increases may benefit all students, gender-specific challenges require targeted approaches to ensure girls receive equitable opportunities,” she said.
Invictus Africa’s baseline assessment on gender-responsive education budgeting (GREB) in Oyo state identified this gap and recommended practical budget lines to address gender disparities.
Key demands
Malala Fund and its partners call on the federal and state governments to:
Increase the education budget: Allocate at least 15% of the national budget to education, aligning with global standards.
Target funding: Ensure resources reach marginalised students, particularly girls in underserved regions, through dedicated budget lines and targeted interventions.
Increase fiscal accountability: Establish strong mechanisms to ensure resources are used efficiently and budgets are allocated and spent transparently.
Align with global standards: Commit to a phased plan to incrementally increase the education budget over the next five years, meeting global standards.
Target state interventions: Adjust funding models to consider population size and unique challenges to ensure equitable distribution of resources to regions most in need.
Implement gender-responsive education budgeting (GREB): Nigeria has made progress in using gender analysis for education policies, but still needs a cohesive national GREB framework. Girls across Nigeria have called on the government to implement this framework, which would ensure investments address the specific needs of girls, tackle gender disparities in education access and outcomes and promote equitable education for all.
Investing in girls’ education delivers unmatched returns. Research indicates that each additional year of schooling increases a girl’s earning potential by up to 10% and reduces the likelihood of child marriage and early pregnancy. At a national level, greater access to education leads to higher GDP growth, healthier populations and stronger economies.
Malala Fund and its partners, who advocate for 12 years of free education for all Nigerian girls, urge the Nigerian government to seize this opportunity to prioritise education in the 2025 budget. By doing this, Nigeria can bridge gaps in school enrolment and retention, promote equitable education outcomes and unlock long-term economic benefits. Girls’ futures — and the nation’s progress — depend on it.
Note: Our partner organisations joining us in this call to government include ACE Charity; Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative; Bridge Connect Africa Initiative; Center For Advocacy, Transparency and Accountability Initiative; Centre for Girls' Education; Connected Development; Education as a Vaccine; Invictus Africa; Onelife Initiative; Sustainable Collective Advocacy for Africa Development Initiative; The Inclusion Project; Unique Care and Support Foundation; and YouthHubAfrica.
