Experts in early childhood development (ECD) have called for urgent and coordinated investment in the formative years, saying inadequate support for young children could undermine Nigeria’s human capital development.

They said investment in healthcare, nutrition, responsive caregiving, parenting, protection and early learning could improve children’s educational outcomes, lifetime earnings and future contribution to national productivity.

The experts spoke at a consultation workshop with civil society organisations and the media, organised as part of the World Bank’s Early Childhood Development Inception Mission in Abuja.

They warned that Nigeria could no longer afford fragmented interventions across healthcare, education, nutrition, social protection, child protection and responsive caregiving.

The World Bank Task Team Leader, Early Childhood, Dr Ritgak Tilley-Gyado, said Nigeria had about 38 million children under five, making coordinated action essential.

She said the early years offered the greatest opportunity to strengthen human capital because children’s physical growth, upbringing and development could still be significantly influenced through appropriate interventions.

Tilley-Gyado called for an all-of-society approach involving governments at all levels, development partners, civil society organisations, traditional and faith institutions, the private sector and communities.

She also stressed the importance of social accountability, describing civil society organisations as a critical voice for citizens and a mechanism for ensuring that governments and development partners fulfil their commitments to child development.

She said the initiative would prioritise disability inclusion, environmental safeguards and protection of vulnerable populations as Nigeria strengthens its ECD interventions.

Also, a neurodevelopmental paediatrician at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Oluwatosin Olorunmeteri, said the first five years of life were critical to brain development and the acquisition of physical, emotional and communication skills.

She said children’s experiences and quality of care during the period significantly shaped their capacity to learn and develop later in life.

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 adversely 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 collaboration among government, civil society organisations, development partners and communities to address challenges facing children and strengthen existing interventions.

“We shall invest to build stronger foundations together; sustained investment in the early years is essential to building the human capital required for Nigeria’s future development,” she added.

The National Coordinator, Open Government Partnership (OGP), Dr Gloria Ahmed, described ECD as an investment in Nigeria’s human capital and future prosperity rather than merely a social intervention.

She said effective delivery required evidence-based planning, adequate financing, implementation and transparent monitoring, with open governance principles such as accountability, citizen participation and inclusive decision-making embedded in programmes.

Ahmed identified civil society organisations as important players in the ECD ecosystem, saying they could amplify the voices of parents, caregivers and children, monitor service delivery and expenditure, raise public awareness and demand accountability from institutions responsible for child development.