By Hajara Abdullahi
The available data on funding for girls’ education reveals a huge gap despite billions allocated by state and federal governments to ensure that millions of girls access education in Northern Nigeria, where multifaceted challenges have kept millions of children out of school.
According to recent data released by BudgIT, a non-governmental organization, via their verified Facebook Handle the current reality of funding for girls’ education is worrisome, with most states allocating as low as zero percent between 2021 and 2025 for girl-child education, despite billions budgeted as capital expenditure for education.
In Adamawa State, from 2021 to 2025, less than 1% of the state’s capital expenditure for education was allocated to girl-child education.
“In the 2021 budget, ₦2.82 billion was allocated to the education sector but 0.00% was spent on girl-child education. Similarly, in 2022, ₦9.80 billion was allocated to education with 0.00% spent on girl-child education,” BudgIT revealed.
Additional information showed that in 2023, there was an increase from 0.00% to 0.59%, with ₦105 million allocated to girl-child education out of ₦17.90 billion budgeted for education. Similarly, in 2024, ₦23.25 billion was allocated to the education sector, with ₦210 million (representing 0.90%) set aside for girl-child education. However, in 2025, ₦670 million (representing 0.95%) out of ₦70.57 billion allocated to education was designated for girl-child education.
In Kano State, data revealed that less than 5% of the education capital budget was apportioned for girl-child education.
In 2021, the state allocated ₦120 million out of ₦12.76 billion (0.94%) to girl-child education. In 2022, there was a sharp increase to 5.03%, representing ₦1.38 billion out of ₦24.43 billion. However, subsequent years saw a decline—4.73% in 2023 (₦1.09 billion out of ₦23.04 billion), 1.11% in 2024 (₦705.38 million out of ₦63.62 billion), and 2.05% in 2025 (₦2.49 billion out of ₦121.24 billion).
In Kaduna State, known as the “Centre of Learning,” less than 1% of the state budget was allocated to girl-child education, with specific funding only noted in grants and counterpart funds from partners like UNICEF and AGILE.
In 2021, ₦47 million (0.00%) out of ₦39.64 billion for education was allocated to girl-child education. In 2022, ₦2.02 billion out of ₦38.59 billion (still 0.00%) went to girl-child education. Similarly, in 2023, ₦10.00 billion (0.00%) out of ₦77.72 billion was allocated. Between 2024 and 2025, allocations slightly improved following federal support—with 0.01% (₦12.81 billion out of ₦96.87 billion) in 2024 and 0.01% (₦9.81 billion out of ₦86.27 billion) in 2025.
In Bauchi State, from 2021 to 2022, 0.00% was allocated to girl-child education out of ₦15.4 billion and ₦9.62 billion, respectively. In 2023, there was a slight increase—0.97% of ₦10.84 billion was allocated, and in 2024, 0.54% (₦105 million) was set aside. By 2025, despite an increased education budget of ₦37.16 billion, only ₦225 million (0.69%) was allocated to girl-child education.
In Borno State, the trend remained similar, with less than 1% of the education budget dedicated to girls between 2021 and 2025. While international grants and counterpart funds from UNICEF and AGILE have provided some relief, the reliance on external funding is neither sustainable nor sufficient to address systemic barriers facing girls in accessing quality education.
A breakdown showed that in 2021, ₦54.37 billion was allocated for education, but ₦7.00 billion (0.00%) went to girl-child education. In 2022, ₦30.7 billion was budgeted, with ₦8.20 billion (0.00%) for girls. In 2023, ₦19.17 billion was allocated with ₦6.18 billion (0.00%) for girl-child education, and in 2024, ₦39.13 billion was budgeted, with ₦5.18 billion (0.00%) spent on the same. By 2025, ₦10.60 billion (0.00%) out of ₦52.99 billion was allocated to girls’ education.
The North records the highest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, with girls making up almost 60%. It is alarming that some states rely heavily on international grants despite huge federal and internal allocations. Low funding, coupled with corruption and mismanagement, has left girl-child education in a dire state, with thousands of girls still lacking access to quality education.
According to Hajiya Rahma Farrah, UNICEF Field Officer in Kano, during the public presentation of the Nigerian Child 2025 Report commemorating World Children’s Day, recent findings showed that Katsina, Kano, and Jigawa account for 16% of Nigeria’s 10.2 million out-of-school children.
To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—particularly gender equality and quality education—governments at all levels must prioritize funding for girl-child education to promote equity and address systemic barriers preventing women and girls from contributing to national development.