A New report by the Moving Minds Alliance has revealed that millions of Nigerian children affected by conflict, displacement and economic hardship remain largely invisible in government budgets, leaving critical early childhood services severely underfunded despite worsening humanitarian needs.
The report, “Financing Early Childhood Development in Crisis (ECDiC) in Nigeria: From Fiscal Invisibility to Child-Level Results”, was unveiled at a workshop for journalists on Early Childhood Development in Crisis Contexts (ECDiC) in Abuja on Wednesday.
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It found that Nigeria has no dedicated budget line for children in crisis.
According to the report, less than five per cent of Nigeria’s education budget benefits early childhood or emergency learning, and only 1.5 per cent of the health budget was allocated to early-childhood focused services.
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The report noted that the absence of a dedicated budget line hinders accountability and systematic tracking of implementation.
“Across all sectors, ECD in Crisis gets a tiny share,” it said.
The report found that although critical sectors such as Education and Health have received increased allocations over the years, financing for ECDiC remains “fiscally invisible” and without dedicated identification to foster accountability and systematic tracking.
“Recognising that ECDiC is not financed through a single budget line, the analysis adopts a multi-sectoral public finance lens to examine how resources flow through health, nutrition and other social determinants of health, including education, social protection and humanitarian systems,” the report said.
“As a result, financing for young children in emergency is poorly protected during budget execution and highly exposed to delays, inflation and reprioritisation during periods of fiscal stress,” the report said.
The report
The report reviewed how Nigeria financed Early Childhood Development in Crisis (ECDiC) between 2020 and 2025.
According to the Communications Manager of the Moving Minds Alliance, Lola Ayanda, the report was developed in partnership with Whole Child Advisors.
“It is the most comprehensive analysis to date of how Nigeria funds, and fails to fund early childhood development for children living through conflict, displacement, climate shocks, and economic crisis,” Ms Ayanda said.
Speaking during the presentation, the Nigeria Early Childhood Development in Crisis Coalition Coordinator, Arome Agenyi, explained that Nigeria’s Human Capital Index stands at 0.36, indicating that a child born in the country today is expected to achieve less than 40 per cent of their potential productivity due to persistent deficiencies in health, nutrition and education.
“Behind every successful adult is an early childhood story. The question is not whether children are developing; they are,” he said.
“The question is whether they are developing to their full potential. In this regard, the stories journalists choose to tell today can shape the policies, investments, and public actions that determine the future of millions of Nigerian children, especially those in crisis contexts across Nigeria.”
Also speaking, the Global Co-Chair of the Reporters for Early Childhood in Humanitarian Crisis (REACH) Network, Mojeed Alabi, said children living through conflict, displacement and economic hardship often become invisible in public policy because they are invisible in public finance.
“When children become fiscally invisible, they also risk becoming politically invisible. The launch of the REACH Network in Nigeria is a commitment by journalists to change that narrative through sustained, evidence-based reporting,” he said.
Methodology
The report measured Nigeria’s annual budget from 2020 – 2025, using mixed-method public finance analysis.
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It assessed the existing financing arrangements for ECDIC in the budgets, the allocations and whether they are capable of reaching young children in crisis contexts.
The report relied on identifying ECDiC-relevant programmes and expenditure categories within sector budgets that plausibly support early childhood outcomes, particularly in emergency and crisis-affected settings.
“Because specific spending on children aged 0-8 (ECDiC) does not exist as a dedicated budget line, the analysis relies on budget-tagging proxies and execution reports from partners such as UNICEF and OCHA to estimate actual service delivery.
REACH Network
The event also marked the formal inauguration of the Nigerian chapter of the REACH Network.
According to Mr Alabi, REACH Network has members in several countries, including India and Uganda.
He explained that the network would strengthen media coverage of early childhood development and hold governments and development partners accountable for commitments to vulnerable children.
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