The Nigerian Government is set to launch a National Strategy and Costed Action Plan for Ending Child Marriage to strengthen child protection, safeguard girls’ rights and expand their access to education and empowerment opportunities.
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, will lead a federal delegation to Kano State for the launch, alongside the distribution of educational and empowerment support packages to selected vulnerable girls and families.
The Head of Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Ahmed Danbazau, disclosed this in a statement announcing activities to commemorate the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child.
Observed annually on October 11, this year’s celebration is themed “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights”.
According to the statement, the proposed strategy will provide an operational and budgetary framework to guide interventions by federal and state governments, as well as development partners, towards ending child marriage.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim stressed the need to protect girls, improve access to quality education and create opportunities for every girl to realise her potential.
She also underscored the importance of involving fathers, traditional rulers, religious leaders and boys in challenging harmful cultural practices and promoting girls’ education.
The ministry said it was pursuing several policies and interventions to strengthen child protection, including the review of the Child Rights Act 2003 and the National Child Policy of 2008.
Other initiatives include the National Strategy on Menstrual Health and Hygiene, the review of the National Gender Policy and programmes designed to improve girls’ access to education, digital skills and economic empowerment.
READ ALSO: Youth Parliament Leader Urges National Ban on Child Marriage
The ministry also highlighted the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up, backed by a 500-million-dollar World Bank expansion, as part of efforts to strengthen household financial security and ease economic pressures that may contribute to child marriage.
The Federal Government called on state governments, traditional and religious institutions, community leaders, parents and youth groups to support collective efforts to end child marriage and protect the rights of the girl child.
