World Bank to Increase Investment in Kaduna Girls’ Education
The World Bank recently announced plans to raise its investment in girls’ education in Kaduna State as part of its overall commitment to improving educational access and empowering adolescent girls across Nigeria.
This move comes in the wake of growing concerns over the high number of out-of-school children in the country, with a high concentration in Northern Nigeria.
Speaking during an inspection tour to Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) Kawo in Kaduna, World Bank Regional Vice President for Western and Central Africa Ousmane Diagana reiterated the Bank’s support for the Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project. The project aims to bridge the shocking learning gap among adolescent girls.
Nigeria alone has over 18 million out-of-school children, and 90 percent of them are in the North. And most of those are girls.
“The AGILE project is our response—it’s about creating space for girls to go to school and thrive. Educating girls empowers them, and that has a transformational impact on communities and society as a whole,”Diagana said
The AGILE project, present in a number of Nigerian states, focuses on enhancing girls’ secondary education by improving infrastructure, supplying learning materials, digital literacy, and provision of support for life skills training. It further promotes community awareness and participation in order to overcome socio-cultural barriers to girls’ education.
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani accepted the renewed cooperation, citing that the World Bank is currently financing eight projects in the state worth over $885 million.
Of this figure, $80 million has been allocated to the AGILE project alone.
“Over 70 percent disbursement has been made in the AGILE project in Kaduna. Progress has been made in the construction of schools, rehabilitation, and rising enrollment, particularly girls,” Governor Sani said. “We will continue to strengthen our partnership with the World Bank in education, health, infrastructure, and social protection.”
The governor further emphasized that education is still a priority in the state, with special focus laid on increasing the access and quality at basic and secondary school levels, especially in poor communities.
This broader investment by the World Bank is amidst the global lender’s growing focus on education as a central accelerator of sustainable development and gender parity. By targeting adolescent girls, the AGILE project will bring an end to the cycle of poverty, contribute to reducing child marriage, and build a more inclusive society.
The visit by the World Bank officials and the commitment to step up support in Kaduna is an encouragement of local and national efforts in addressing one of Nigeria’s most important social challenges—education for all.
