Nigeria could generate more than $400bn in additional income by 2040 if the country increases investments in adolescent girls through education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and stronger legal protections, a new World Bank report has stated.
The report, titled “Pathways to Prosperity for Adolescent Girls in Nigeria,” stated, “Estimates suggest that investing in adolescent girls in Nigeria between now and 2040 could generate more than $400bn in additional income for a cost of around $37bn.”
The World Bank said Nigeria has significant untapped economic potential despite insecurity, poverty, and regional inequalities, noting that targeted interventions for girls could boost productivity and economic growth.
It added that similar investments across Africa could generate more than $2.4tn in additional income at an estimated cost of about $200bn.
According to the report, Nigeria’s national averages mask deep disparities between the northern and southern regions, with girls in the North West and North East facing worse outcomes due to insecurity, insurgency, and structural disadvantages.
The report stated that 45.7 per cent of girls aged 15 to 19 are currently in school, below the African average of 51.5 per cent, while 30.6 per cent are economically engaged, above the continental average of 22.3 per cent.
It added that 80.8 per cent of girls aged 15 to 19 are unmarried and without children, compared to the African average of 73.4 per cent, although early marriage and childbearing remain widespread among poor and rural communities.
The report further disclosed that Nigeria scored 51.1 out of 100 on the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law 2026 legal frameworks index, lower than the Sub-Saharan African average of 59.6. Nigeria also scored 49 out of 100 on supportive legal frameworks.
On digital inclusion, the World Bank noted that only 12.3 per cent of adolescent girls use the internet compared to 18.1 per cent of boys, while smartphone ownership among girls stood at 36.6 per cent against 51.1 per cent among boys.
The report identified major regional disparities in girls’ welfare and opportunities. It stated that the “Grace pathway,” representing girls who are in school, not working, unmarried and without children, was highest in the South East at 62.4 per cent, South West at 50.4 per cent, and South South at 45.4 per cent, but dropped sharply to 22.8 per cent in the North East.
According to the report, vulnerable pathways involving girls who are out of school, unemployed, married, or with children were more prevalent in northern Nigeria, with vulnerability levels standing at 55.1 per cent in the North West, 46.4 per cent in the North East, and 42.2 per cent in the North Central. In comparison, the South East recorded 21.9 per cent while the South West had 22.5 per cent.
The World Bank said girls in Nigeria face significant gender-related barriers, noting that they are more than twice as likely as boys to be out of school and unemployed. It stated that 19.2 per cent of girls are either married or have children compared to only 0.6 per cent of boys.
The report also highlighted a sharp rural-urban divide, showing that only 32.4 per cent of rural girls are in school compared to 59.2 per cent of urban girls.
It added that the proportion of girls who are married or have children in rural areas is more than four times higher than in urban areas, at 30.9 per cent and 6.9 per cent respectively.
On household income disparities, the report disclosed that only 15.9 per cent of girls from the poorest households are in school compared to 62.2 per cent among girls from the wealthiest homes.
It added that 38.6 per cent of the poorest girls are either married or have children, compared to 3.6 per cent among the wealthiest. The report stated, “These patterns reveal how gender, geography, and poverty interact to create multiple, reinforcing barriers for many adolescent girls in Nigeria.”
To address the gaps, the World Bank recommended targeted education and healthcare interventions in northern and rural areas, improved access to sexual and reproductive health education, lower schooling costs, expanded digital financial services, and stronger legal protections for women and girls.
The report noted that many of the interventions are already being supported through the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment programme, a $1.2bn initiative covering 18 northern states and five states across the South West, South East, and South South.
According to the World Bank, evidence from Nigeria and other African countries showed that interventions such as scholarships, girls’ clubs, conditional cash transfers, vocational training, digital health applications, and community engagement programmes have improved school enrollment, delayed child marriage, and increased economic participation among girls.