The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) and ActionAid Nigeria have called for greater investment in girls’ education and stronger parental support to tackle child marriage and school dropouts.
CITAD programme officer Yesmin Salako made the appeal in Abuja during an event marking the International Day of the Girl Child. The event focused on ending early marriage and securing a better future for adolescent girls.
Salako explained that an ActionAid-funded project works with 12 adolescent girls in rural communities, helping them identify challenges and lead campaigns for change. Their research identified child marriage as a major concern, prompting them to seek help from local council officials, gender desk officers and social welfare departments.
She said the reported 30 per cent school dropout rate in the community required urgent action. Early marriage, she added, limits girls’ access to education and reduces their future opportunities.
“Our goal is to ensure that no girl is left behind and that every girl has access to education, from the basic level to secondary school and tertiary education,” Salako said.
She also called for digital skills training for girls, revealing that CITAD planned to support a digital resource centre where girls could use computers, conduct research and learn software development.
However, Salako identified poverty as a key driver of early marriage. Some parents who struggle to pay school fees marry off their daughters, while others believe educating girls offers little benefit. Teenage pregnancy and social stigma also contribute to the problem.
“Parenting is not just giving birth to a child. It also involves nurturing and training that child until they can stand on their own feet,” she said, urging parents to protect children from sexual abuse and gender-based violence.
Community leader Yahaya Alhassan supported the campaign, stressing that education could help girls become doctors, lawyers, nurses and other professionals. He also highlighted poor school buildings, inadequate electricity and security concerns in the community.
Participating girls, including Endurance Ishaku and Ezekiel S. Blesing, called for stronger community engagement and affordable education to prevent financial hardship and parental pressure from ending girls’ schooling.
Should governments and communities do more to keep girls in school and end early marriage?
