Child marriage is still a reality for millions of girls in Northern Nigeria. However new evidence shows ending the practice is both achievable and cost effective, and could boost economic and social development in the country.
Northern Nigeria continues to record some of the highest rates of child marriage and early school dropout globally, with nearly half of young women marrying before the age of 18. Child marriage undermines girls’ health, education, and economic potential, with long-term consequences for families, communities and the country.
To address this, a new study by Accelerate Research Hub, based at DSPI and supported by the Gates Foundation, modelled the effects of interventions designed to reduce child marriage, adolescent pregnancy, school dropout, and gender-based violence. The study assessed the potential impact and economic returns of scaling up these proven prevention strategies and identified clear and measurable benefits.
Research findings
The analysis found that investing $114 million in interventions for 1.1 million adolescent girls in states with high levels of child marriage could generate significant social and economic benefits including:
- 3.9 million additional years of schooling for adolescent girls
- 327,000 fewer cases of child marriage and 383,000 fewer adolescent pregnancies
- 3651 adolescent maternal deaths and 35,675 under-five child deaths prevented
- A 21:1 return on investment, generating $2.5 billion in societal benefits
“Child marriage perpetuates poverty and constrains Nigeria’s growth,” commented Dr William Rudgard, Senior Postdoctoral Researcher at DSPI and Accelerate Research Hub. “These findings show that investment in girls’ education and empowerment can deliver strong social and economic returns for the entire country.”
Impact
These findings are being used to inform national and state-level planning, policy dialogue, and donor investment. By scaling proven, cost-effective interventions for adolescent girls, governments and development partners can unlock substantial social and economic gains. The results show that investing in girls is both a moral imperative and a sound economic choice.
Read Accelerate Hub’s policy briefing
Read UNICEF’s press release, UNICEF and partners find high economic returns from investing in adolescent girls in Northern Nigeria
