Nigeria’s 36 state governors under the aegis of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) have renewed their commitment to making Early Childhood Development (ECD) a strategic priority, while calling for stronger action at the state and local government levels to translate policy commitments into measurable improvements in the lives of young children.
The commitment was disclosed at the North-West Zonal Consultative Workshop on Early Childhood Development, organised by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) in collaboration with the World Bank, Human Capital Development (HCD) and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
The NGF said the focus must now shift from broad national commitments to practical, adequately financed and accountable programmes capable of addressing the specific needs of children across the states, reports Daily Independent.
Representing the Director-General of the NGF Secretariat, Dr Abdulateef Shittu, the Director of Media and Strategic Communications, Mallam Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi, said investment in the early years should be viewed as an investment in Nigeria’s long-term economic and human capital development.
He said the period from pregnancy to a child’s fifth year represents a critical window in which the foundations for health, learning, cognitive development and future productivity are established.
“The period from pregnancy through the first five years of life represents a critical window for a child’s development,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria can no longer treat ECD as an intervention belonging to a single sector, given its links to education, healthcare, nutrition, productivity and the country’s broader economic prospects.
“Investing in Early Childhood Development is therefore not only an investment in children; it is an investment in Nigeria’s human capital and long-term economic development,” he said.
The NGF’s strongest message at the workshop was that the success of national ECD policies would ultimately depend on what happens at the subnational level.
Abdullahi said while national policies and frameworks provide direction, their impact would be determined by the ability of states and local governments to convert those policies into programmes, budgets and services that reach children and families.
“While national policies and frameworks provide important direction, their impact will ultimately depend on how effectively they are translated into action at the state and local government levels,” he said.
“These places us, the state actors, at the centre of Nigeria’s ECD agenda.”
He also stressed the need for greater coordination among government agencies, arguing that the multiple needs of young children cannot be effectively addressed by individual ministries, departments and agencies working in isolation.
“Early Childhood Development is inherently multisectoral. No single MDA can deliver the range of interventions that a child requires to thrive,” he said.
“All sectors must work together towards shared outcomes for children.”
The workshop is expected to provide participating states with an opportunity to develop state-specific ECD plans based on their institutional capacity, existing systems and peculiar development needs.
However, the NGF cautioned that the preparation of plans should not become an end in itself.
“Our expectation is that this process goes beyond the development of plans,” Abdullahi said.
He said the plans must establish clear pathways for implementation, coordination, financing and accountability, while being integrated into existing state planning and budgeting processes.
“The plans developed here should provide a clear pathway for implementation, coordination, financing and accountability and, importantly, should be integrated into existing state planning and budgeting processes,” he said.
The emphasis on state-level financing is significant because the sustainability of ECD interventions depends heavily on whether states are able to move beyond externally supported programmes and provide predictable funding through their own planning and budgetary systems.
Abdullahi disclosed that the 36 governors had already formally reaffirmed their commitment to ECD at the NGF meeting held on June 17, 2026.
“At the last NGF meeting on the 17th of June 2026, all 36 state Governors formally reaffirmed that investments in Early Childhood Development are fundamental to improving health, nutrition, school readiness, learning outcomes, future productivity, and overall human capital development,” he said.
The commitment places ECD within the wider human capital agenda being pursued by governments and development partners, with emphasis on improving outcomes that could influence Nigeria’s future workforce and productivity.
The NGF said its Secretariat would continue to use its convening and peer-learning role to help states strengthen their ECD systems and learn from approaches being implemented across the country.
“At the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat, we recognise the critical role of leadership in advancing Early Childhood Development at the subnational level,” Abdullahi said.
He added that the Forum would continue to champion ECD, facilitate learning among states and work with development partners to translate national priorities into sustainable action.
“We will continue to champion ECD as an important development priority, facilitate shared learning across states, and work with relevant partners to support the translation of national priorities into coordinated and sustainable action at the state level.”
The NGF urged participants at the consultative workshop to use the process to develop plans that are both ambitious and realistic, with clear indicators for measuring progress.
“I encourage everyone to participate actively, share experiences and use this opportunity to develop plans that are both ambitious and realistic,” Abdullahi said.
The renewed commitment comes as Nigeria continues to confront challenges around early learning, child health, nutrition and human capital development, areas that have long-term implications for educational attainment and economic productivity.
For the governors, the immediate challenge is therefore not simply securing agreement on the importance of ECD, but ensuring that such commitments are reflected in state-level priorities, budgets and implementation mechanisms.
The NGF said its role would remain focused on supporting states to move from commitment to action, with the ultimate objective of improving outcomes for children during the formative years of their development.
