Stakeholders in Nigeria’s early childhood 5(ECD) sector have called for stronger coordination, unified action and sustained investment to improve the welfare and development of children across the country.
They made the call at a consultation workshop with civil society organisations and the media, organised as part of the World Bank’s Early Childhood Development Inception Mission.
The stakeholders stressed that children’s well-being requires coordinated interventions across health, education, nutrition, social protection and other critical sectors.
They noted that experiences during the first five years of life have far-reaching implications for children’s health, learning, productivity and future contribution to national development, making ECD a critical component of Nigeria’s human capital agenda.
Speaking at the engagement, the National Coordinator, Open Government Partnership (OGP), Dr Gloria Ahmed, said Nigeria must strengthen coordination among government institutions, development partners, civil society organisations, communities, parents and caregivers to achieve better outcomes for children.
Dr Ahmed described ECD as an investment in the nation’s human capital and future prosperity rather than merely a social intervention.
“Early childhood development is a critical foundation for the future of every nation. It is not merely a social intervention; it is an investment in human capital development and in the future prosperity of any nation,” she said.
She said effective ECD delivery also required evidence-based planning, adequate financing, effective implementation and transparent monitoring.
According to her, open governance principles, including transparency, accountability, citizen participation and inclusive decision-making, were essential to achieving the desired outcomes.
Dr Ahmed further said civil society organisations were strategically positioned to amplify the voices of parents, caregivers and children, monitor service delivery and expenditure, promote public awareness and hold institutions accountable for commitments to child development.
Also speaking, the World Bank Task Team Leader, Early Childhood, Dr Ritgak Tilley-Gyado, said the size of Nigeria’s child population made coordinated action particularly urgent, noting that the country has about 38 million children under five.
Dr Tilley-Gyado said investments in healthcare, nutrition, responsive caregiving, parenting, protection and early learning during the formative years could significantly influence children’s educational outcomes, lifetime earnings and eventual contribution to national productivity.
She stressed that improving early childhood outcomes would require an all-of-society approach involving governments at all levels, development partners, civil society, traditional and faith institutions, the private sector and communities.
“What this agenda says is that the effort is to coalesce all of government horizontally across sectors, vertically across the four tiers of government,” she said.
According to her, the greatest opportunity for improving Nigeria’s human capital lies with children in their early years because their physical growth, upbringing and development can still be significantly influenced through appropriate interventions.
She also emphasised the importance of social accountability, describing civil society as a critical voice for citizens and an important mechanism for ensuring that government and development partners fulfil their commitments.
The World Bank official said the initiative would also prioritise disability inclusion, environmental safeguards and protection of vulnerable populations as Nigeria strengthens its ECD interventions.
Presenting a technical perspective, a Neurodevelopmental Paediatrician at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Oluwatosin Olorunmeteri, said the first five years of a child’s life were critical to brain development, learning and the acquisition of physical, emotional and communication skills.
She explained that the quality of care and experiences children received during this period significantly shaped their capacity to learn and develop later in life.
Professor. Olorunmeteri identified good health, adequate nutrition, responsive caregiving, safety and security, and opportunities for early learning as essential components of nurturing care.
She warned that hunger, violence, neglect, infections and toxic stress could negatively affect children’s development.
“Only about 47.7 per cent of Nigerian children are developing on track, with gaps also recorded in literacy, numeracy and executive functioning,” she said.
The paediatrician called for stronger multisectoral collaboration among government, civil society organisations, development partners and communities to address challenges confronting children and strengthen existing interventions.
She added that sustained investment in the early years was essential to building the human capital required for Nigeria’s future development.
The engagement underscored the need for a coordinated, accountable and inclusive approach to ensure that investments in Nigeria’s youngest population translate into healthier, better-educated and more productive citizens.
