The World Bank has approved a substantial $700 million loan in a move aimed at advancing education and empowerment opportunities for adolescent girls in Nigeria.

The announcement, made through a statement posted on the World Bank’s website last Friday, reveals the purpose of this loan is to bolster ongoing initiatives, particularly the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment program.

“The World Bank approved additional financing of $700 million for Nigeria to scale up the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment program whose goal is to improve secondary education opportunities among girls in targeted states,” the statement reads.

“The additional financing will scale up project activities from the current seven states to eleven additional states and increase the targeted beneficiaries to include out-of-school girls, those who are married, and those who have disabilities.”

Nigeria faces a pressing challenge with a significant number of out-of-school children, estimated to range from 12 million to 15 million within the school-age group, primarily concentrated in Northern Nigeria.

Additionally, approximately one million children were affected by heightened insecurity around schools in 2020-2021.

The statement further notes, “In the seven AGILE program implementing states – Borno, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, and Plateau – the number of girls in secondary schools has increased from about 900,000 to over 1.6 million. Under the program, over 5,000 classrooms have been renovated, and over 250,000 eligible girls have received scholarships.”

“The AGILE program has supported the construction and rehabilitation of WASH facilities in secondary schools and the installation of computers and solar panels, which make attending school more convenient and conducive for both girls and boys.”

“Life skills, systems strengthening, and advocacy are other key aspects of the program which address social norms impeding girls’ education.”

Shubham Chaudhuri, the World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating, “Closing the gender gaps in economic empowerment by ensuring girls have access to education and skills is key for Nigeria’s development and economic prosperity.”

“Nigeria’s working population will soon be one of the youngest and largest around the world, which means that investing in adolescent girls is imperative when addressing overall economic prospects and growth.”

The financing is not limited to benefiting girls alone; it will extend its impact to more than 15 million students and other stakeholders, including teachers, administrators, families, communities, and staff within both existing and newly established schools.

The newly established fund will expand the project’s reach to 18 states, with the overarching goal of enhancing education and healthcare outcomes for girls in Nigeria.