In a move to secure the nation’s future economic competitiveness, the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) has joined forces with the World Bank and Ogidi Studios to launch a landmark creative coalition aimed at boosting early childhood development across the country.

The initiative, titled “Naija Made Early: Entertainers for Nigerian Children,” convened a high-powered assembly of filmmakers, musicians, and policymakers in Lagos to address a critical developmental gap: the fact that 90 per cent of a child’s brain development occurs before the age of five. Despite this biological reality, current data indicate that only 43 per cent of Nigerian children aged three to four meet basic developmental milestones, signaling a foundational deficit that experts say must be corrected through national mobilisation.

Speaking at the stakeholders’ engagement, Director-General of CBAAC, Aisha Adamu Augie, transitioned the conversation from social charity to hard economics. She emphasised that early childhood development is a core pillar of economic strategy, noting that every dollar invested in high-quality early programmes yields returns as high as thirteen dollars through increased lifetime earnings and reduced remedial health costs.

The coalition is designed to leverage Nigeria’s globally influential creative economy, including the giants of Nollywood and the music industry, to shift deep-seated social norms around parenting, nutrition, and early learning.

By integrating developmental behaviours into mainstream storytelling, the group aims to reach millions of households with messages promoting play-based learning, exclusive breastfeeding, and the involvement of fathers in caregiving.

The urgency of the mission is underscored by the current “stunting” crisis, which affects 40 per cent of Nigerian children and leads to billions of dollars in annual productivity losses.

During an Arise News broadcast covering the event, speakers argued that emerging global powers do not treat the early years as a luxury, but rather as essential national infrastructure. Representatives from Plateau State added that domesticating these values within local communities is essential for building a foundation of dedication and hard work.

The collaborative effort also draws heavily on the World Bank’s findings, which suggest that closing early childhood gaps could increase Nigeria’s long-run GDP per capita by as much as 10 per cent. Adamu Augie reminded the audience that as the continent’s most populous nation, Nigeria’s success in this sector would serve as a blueprint for the rest of Africa.

As CBAAC moves from this soft-launch phase into a wider national campaign, the coalition intends to keep the “Nigerian Child” at the centre of the nation’s cultural and economic imagination. By uniting storytellers with the Human Capital Core Working Group of the National Economic Council, the initiative seeks to ensure that tomorrow’s success is creatively nurtured today.