Is Nigeria Investing Enough in Early Childhood Development?

The trajectory of a nation’s long-term economic stability and social cohesion is often decided within the first five years of its citizens’ lives, yet this critical window frequently remains underfunded in emerging economies. During this formative period, the human brain undergoes its most rapid development, creating a unique window of opportunity where investments in health, nutrition, and early learning generate returns that far exceed those of any later educational phase. In Nigeria, the current fiscal landscape presents a complex paradox where the rhetoric of human capital development often clashes with the reality of budgetary allocations. While policymakers acknowledge that early childhood development is the cornerstone of sustainable growth, the financial mechanisms required to support this vision remain fragmented and largely inadequate. The absence of a dedicated funding stream for the most vulnerable demographic means that millions of children enter their school years without the foundational skills necessary to thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy.

Addressing Federal Budgetary Shortfalls

The federal government’s approach to financing the education sector has seen a marked increase in nominal terms, yet these figures often obscure a more troubling structural reality. For the 2026 fiscal cycle, the education budget reached a historic high of ₦3.52 trillion, a significant jump from the ₦1.54 trillion allocated only three years ago. However, when this figure is viewed as a percentage of the total national expenditure of ₦58.18 trillion, it represents a mere 6%, which is substantially lower than the 15% to 20% recommended by international development organizations for nations seeking rapid industrialization. This discrepancy suggests that while the dollar amount is rising, education is actually losing its relative priority within the broader national agenda. Furthermore, the lack of transparency in how these funds are categorized prevents a clear understanding of what portion is specifically earmarked for children under five. This structural invisibility ensures that early childhood initiatives remain at the mercy of broader, often unrelated, primary education priorities.

Nominal Increases and Structural Invisibility

The current budgetary framework continues to group early childhood education under the umbrella of basic education, a classification that effectively masks the specific needs of the zero-to-five demographic. By failing to provide a distinct line item for pre-primary interventions, the federal government makes it nearly impossible to track the actual impact of its spending on the most critical stages of brain development. This lack of disaggregation leads to a situation where funds intended for foundational learning are frequently diverted to more visible projects, such as secondary school infrastructure or administrative overhead. Consequently, programs that could address stunting, cognitive delays, and early literacy are left underfunded, even as the overall education budget appears to grow. Without a fundamental shift in how these allocations are structured, the nominal increases will continue to provide a false sense of progress while leaving the most essential developmental needs of the nation’s youngest citizens unaddressed in a meaningful way.

Even when specific interventions are funded within the 2026 budget, such as the ₦113.7 billion allocated for school feeding and out-of-school initiatives, they are rarely designed with the specific needs of toddlers and preschoolers in mind. Most of these programs target children who are already enrolled in the formal primary system, effectively ignoring the millions of children who have yet to reach that stage. For instance, the ₦42 billion set aside for school feeding serves as a powerful incentive for attendance in later years but does little to combat the nutritional deficiencies that take root during the first thousand days of life. This misalignment means that by the time a child is eligible for these programs, the window for correcting developmental delays may have already closed. To bridge this gap, federal planners must transition toward a holistic model that integrates health, nutrition, and early learning into a single, cohesive funding framework that prioritizes the pre-primary years as the most vital stage.

Per Capita Realities and Strategic Gaps

When the aggregate figures are broken down to reflect the investment made in each individual child, the inadequacy of the current funding levels becomes even more apparent. Estimates suggest that the total public spending per child in Nigeria, including both federal and state contributions, hovers around $37 annually, a figure that is woefully insufficient to cover the costs of high-quality early childhood services. In comparison, nations that have successfully transformed their human capital outcomes typically spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars per child on foundational services. This massive funding gap limits the government’s ability to hire specialized educators, provide age-appropriate learning materials, and maintain safe facilities for the youngest learners. As a result, the quality of early childhood development services remains highly inconsistent, with children in rural and underserved areas bearing the brunt of this neglect, further widening the socio-economic divide across the country.

The strategic consequences of these funding gaps are reflected in Nigeria’s inability to meet global norms for the percentage of Gross Domestic Product dedicated to foundational learning. While successful international models suggest that nations should allocate between 0.5% and 1% of their GDP specifically to early childhood education, Nigeria has yet to establish a clear benchmark for this specific sector. This lack of a measurable target reflects a broader policy vacuum where early childhood development is treated as an optional extra rather than a core economic necessity. Without a clear financial commitment linked to GDP, the sector will continue to rely on sporadic interventions rather than the consistent, multi-year funding required to build a robust system. Bridging this strategic gap is essential for ensuring that the nation’s massive youth population becomes an economic asset rather than a liability, as the costs of remediation in later life far outweigh the price of early investment.

The Consequences for Nigerian Children

The financial neglect of early childhood development translates directly into a lack of access to essential services for the majority of the nation’s young population. With an estimated 30 million children under the age of five, the scale of the challenge is immense, yet the current investment level of approximately $37 per child per year falls drastically short of what is required to provide high-quality care. This funding gap is not just a statistical anomaly; it is a systemic failure that deprives two-thirds of Nigerian children of any exposure to structured early learning before they enter primary school. The lack of standardized pre-primary facilities means that those from low-income backgrounds are forced to start their education at a significant disadvantage compared to their peers in more affluent regions. This early exclusion sets a precedent for academic struggles, higher dropout rates, and lower lifetime earnings, creating a cycle of poverty that is increasingly difficult to break as the children grow older.

Spending Gaps and Educational Exclusion

The direct result of this educational exclusion is a generation of students who enter the primary school system without the cognitive or social foundations necessary for success. Statistics indicate that roughly 64% of children in Nigeria have no access to pre-primary education, a figure that highlights a national crisis in foundational learning. This exclusion is particularly acute in the northern regions, where security challenges and economic hardship further limit the availability of early childhood services. Without the benefit of early stimulation and structured play, these children often struggle with basic literacy and numeracy, leading to poor learning outcomes that persist throughout their academic careers. The failure to invest in these early years means that the subsequent billions spent on primary and secondary education are often less effective, as teachers are forced to focus on remedial work rather than following a standard curriculum, ultimately lowering the overall quality of the national education system.

Furthermore, the participation gap in early childhood development has profound implications for social equity and national stability. When the state fails to provide affordable and accessible pre-primary options, the burden of early education falls entirely on families, many of whom cannot afford private alternatives. This creates a tiered system where quality early learning is a luxury reserved for the wealthy, while the majority of children are left behind. This disparity not only limits individual potential but also hampers the country’s collective productivity, as a significant portion of the workforce enters the labor market with underdeveloped skills. To address this exclusion, the government must prioritize the expansion of public pre-primary centers and integrate them into the existing basic education infrastructure. By ensuring that every child, regardless of their background, has access to early learning, Nigeria can begin to level the playing field and foster a more inclusive and resilient economy.

Long-Term Economic Implications

The long-term economic repercussions of underfunding early childhood development are staggering when measured against the potential loss in national productivity. Research in behavioral economics has consistently shown that the return on investment for early childhood programs can be as high as 13% per annum, as these interventions reduce the need for special education, lower crime rates, and increase tax contributions from a more skilled workforce. In contrast, Nigeria’s current underinvestment is effectively a decision to accept lower future growth rates and higher social costs. By failing to cultivate the cognitive abilities of its youngest citizens today, the nation is limiting its capacity for innovation and technological advancement in the decades to come. The cumulative effect of millions of children reaching adulthood without reaching their full developmental potential creates a significant drag on the Gross Domestic Product, as the economy struggles to find the high-skilled labor required for a modern, diversified market.

Moreover, the demographic momentum of Nigeria means that the stakes for early childhood investment are higher here than in almost any other nation. With one of the world’s fastest-growing populations, the sheer volume of young people entering the school system each year requires a proactive and well-funded strategy to prevent a collapse in service quality. If the current trend of structural underfunding continues, the country risks facing a demographic disaster where a large, unskilled youth population is unable to find employment, leading to increased social unrest and economic instability. Investing in early childhood development is therefore not just an educational goal but a critical component of national security and economic planning. Shifting the fiscal focus toward the zero-to-five age group would allow Nigeria to capitalize on its demographic dividend, transforming its young population into a powerful engine for regional and global growth through improved human capital.

Implementation Hurdles at the State Level

While federal policy provides the overarching framework for education, the practical implementation of early childhood development services is the constitutional responsibility of state governments. This decentralized structure creates a landscape of significant variation, where some states show visionary leadership while others struggle with basic service delivery. In the 2026 fiscal cycle, several states have made headlines for their ambitious education budgets, with Enugu State allocating a remarkable 32% of its total expenditure to the sector. Other states like Katsina and Borno have also prioritized education, earmarking billions for infrastructure and teacher recruitment. However, the presence of these funds in budget documents does not always guarantee that they reach the intended beneficiaries. The complexity of the state-level bureaucracy, combined with competing political priorities, often means that early childhood initiatives are the first to be sidelined when revenue shortfalls occur or when administrative delays stall project execution.

Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Reality

The primary obstacle to effective early childhood development at the subnational level is the persistent execution gap that exists between budget approval and actual cash disbursement. Historical data suggests that many Nigerian states only implement about two-thirds of their total approved education budgets, with the capital expenditure required for pre-primary facilities often suffering the most significant cuts. This means that while a state might promise to build five hundred new early learning centers, only a fraction of that number might actually be completed. This discrepancy is often caused by inefficient procurement processes, a lack of technical capacity in local government areas, and a focus on short-term political wins rather than long-term developmental goals. To bridge this gap, states must adopt more rigorous tracking mechanisms that ensure funds are released on time and utilized for their intended purpose, specifically for the specialized requirements of the youngest learners.

Beyond financial execution, there is a dire need for specialized teacher training and curriculum development tailored to the unique needs of children under five. Currently, many pre-primary classrooms in Nigeria are staffed by teachers who lack specific training in early childhood education, leading to an environment that mimics the rigid, rote-learning style of primary schools. This approach is often counterproductive for toddlers, who require play-based learning and emotional support to develop their cognitive and social skills. State governments must therefore invest in specialized training programs and certification for early childhood educators to ensure that the quality of instruction matches the increased budgetary allocations. By focusing on the quality of the interactions within the classroom rather than just the number of buildings constructed, states can ensure that their investments lead to genuine improvements in school readiness and long-term academic success for all children.

Future Strategic Recommendations

To move toward a more effective and sustainable model of early childhood development, Nigeria must adopt a multi-tiered strategy that emphasizes transparency, integration, and accountability. At the federal level, the 2026 budget process highlighted the need for a dedicated and protected budget line for pre-primary services, ensuring that these funds are not swallowed by broader educational categories. This should be accompanied by a national tracking system that monitors child-sensitive expenditures across all levels of government, providing a clear picture of where the money is going and what outcomes it is achieving. Such transparency would not only improve government efficiency but also encourage private sector and international donor participation, as stakeholders are more likely to invest in systems where the impact of their contributions can be clearly measured. Integration across health and education sectors is also vital to provide the holistic care that early development requires.

Furthermore, state governments should be incentivized to meet specific benchmarks in early childhood development through a system of performance-based grants. By linking federal transfers to measurable outcomes such as increased enrollment in pre-primary centers and improved nutritional status among preschoolers, the national government can drive regional progress and ensure a more uniform standard of care. Additionally, the government should explore public-private partnerships to expand the reach of early childhood services, leveraging the innovation and efficiency of the private sector to fill gaps in public provision. Moving forward, the focus must shift from simply increasing the volume of spending to improving the effectiveness of every naira invested. By implementing these structural reforms, Nigeria was able to transition from a period of nominal growth to a stage of genuine developmental impact, ensuring that its youngest citizens are equipped to lead the nation toward a more prosperous and stable future.

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