Study sees secondary schooling slash child marriage in Northern Nigeria by two-thirds

Northern Nigeria could dramatically reduce child marriage and unlock billions of dollars in economic gains if it expands investments in girls’ education, according to new evidence presented Thursday at a high-level workshop in Abuja.

The analysis shows that ensuring every girl in the region completes secondary school could cut child marriage by up to two-thirds, sharply reduce adolescent pregnancy, and boost productivity across communities.

Researchers also found that targeted investments in adolescent girls could deliver exceptional economic value: a US$114 million package of interventions in two northern states would generate US$2.5 billion (₦3.6 trillion) in long-term benefits – a 21:1 return on investment.

Child marriage remains widespread in Nigeria, affecting more than 3.7 million women aged 20–24 who were married before 18. The practice is particularly common in the Northeast and Northwest, where nearly half of young women still enter marriage before adulthood, despite some improvements in the 2024 Demographic and Health Survey. Advocates warn that early marriage curtails education, harms health outcomes, and locks families into poverty.

Education stands out as one of the strongest drivers of change. Girls with no schooling marry at a median age of 16.6 years, compared with 21.7 years for those who complete secondary education, according to UNICEF. Yet an estimated 7.6 million Nigerian girls remain out of school – half of them in northern states.

Evidence to Action

The workshop brought together federal officials, northern state governments, UNICEF, civil society groups, and researchers from the Accelerate Research Hub, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Hub, a collaboration among the Universities of Oxford, Cape Town, and Witwatersrand, examined cost-effective interventions that reduce child marriage, adolescent pregnancy, school dropout, and gender-based violence.

Working with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Girls Not Brides Nigeria, UNICEF, and the Centre for Girls Education in Kaduna, the study modeled “accelerator” programmes including safe spaces, accelerated learning, school enrolment support, and community engagement.

“This evidence underscores what we have always known – investing in girls is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do,” said Iman Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of Women’s Affairs. “When girls learn, delay marriage, and realize their full potential, their families and communities flourish, with returns that extend for generations.”

UNICEF Nigeria Representative Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef added that the findings must drive stronger action from governments: “Every girl who stays in school and decides her own future adds to Nigeria’s strength… We must turn this evidence into sustained action in every northern state.”

Officials and partners from Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Bauchi, and Katsina states committed to using the findings to shape policies, reprogramme resources toward proven interventions, challenge norms that perpetuate early marriage, and expand community-driven support for girls’ education.

The commitments align with Nigeria’s pledges at the 2024 Ministerial Conference to End Violence Against Children, particularly the rollout of national strategies to end child marriage.

The event ended with a collective call to scale up investments that allow every girl to learn and thrive – a step participants said is essential to Northern Nigeria’s long-term security, prosperity, and human development.