As part of efforts to address child marriage prevalence in parts of Nigeria and its negative impact, the federal government has unveiled a national framework to prevent early marriage of the girl child.

Unveiling the regional National Strategy and Costed Action Plan on Ending Child Marriage in Nigeria (2025–2030) in Kano yesterday, the Minister for Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said the new policy would tackle barriers that prevent girls from reaching their full potential.

Alongside the framework, the government is planning to expand access to quality and compulsory education to enable the girl child to achieve her full potential before marriage.

The minister said that the regional launch for the North-West and North-East geopolitical zones was designed to protect the fundamental rights of girls, especially access to quality education during childhood.

She described the prevalence of child marriage as a major obstacle to national development, citing poverty, insecurity, harmful traditional practices, gender discrimination and inadequate social protection as factors aiding the practice.

However, Sulaiman-Ibrahim explained that the new strategy provides a coordinated framework for implementation, financing, monitoring and accountability in the fight against child marriage.

She stressed that its success would be measured not by policy declarations but by the number of girls retained in schools, communities adopting protective practices, resources committed to it, and measurable reductions in child marriage.

Consequently, she urged all levels of government, traditional and religious leaders, civil society, and development partners to strengthen child protection systems, enforce relevant laws, and invest in the education and economic empowerment of the girl child.

She stressed the need to extend interventions beyond state capitals to rural communities where girls face greater risks of early marriage and educational exclusion.

For her part, the Programme Manager, Partnerships and Advocacy at Education as a Vaccine (EVA), Dr Philomena Yakubu, stressed that keeping girls in school remains among the most effective strategies for preventing child marriage and improving their future opportunities.

According to her, the coalition focuses on ensuring that girls complete at least 12 years of education, while the project prioritises strengthening government institutions and existing policies rather than setting a specific numerical target for girls returning to school.

The objective, she explained, is to establish sustainable, government-led systems that guarantee educational opportunities for as many girls as possible.