World Bank Gives Extra $7 Million To Develop Safe Learning spaces for Nigerian Girls
The Adolescent Girls' Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) programme in 10 states has received an additional $7 million from the World Bank Group.
Following a meeting between the minister and bank representatives in Abuja, this information was released in a statement by the federal ministry of women's affairs.
World Bank senior education officer Aisha Garba said the program's initial project total was $5 million, but that amount has already been increased to $12 million so that additional states can participate.
On July 28, 2020, after the project was approved, Ms Garba revealed, "Disbursements of the $7 million and the initial fund of five million began on July 28, 2020, when the Project was approved until July 31, 2025.
She added that "The AGILE funding disbursement has been able to create safe and accessible learning spaces, foster an enabling environment for girls, and carry out project management and system strengthening with substantially encouraging results from its application."
The AGILE task leader also mentioned that the government's demand, dedication, and agreement with the World Bank objective were prerequisites for the increased funding.
She elaborated by saying that there was also the necessity to scale impact, widen the target demographic, and raise the national percentage of girls in school.
Ms Garba elaborated by saying that the first fund was designed to empower and keep girls in school, while the new fund would be used to help married girls.
Pauline Tallen, minister of women's affairs, reaffirmed her commitment to girls' education by saying the new fund would help increase enrolment and retention rates.
However, Ms Tallen expressed worry that her ministry, rather than the federal ministry of education, should house the AGILE project's financial resources.
“Tallen, however, sees something amiss with the situation where (the) budgeted fund for girl-child education is domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Education. Whereas it is the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs that carries out the advocacy to drive not just enrolment but completion of education to senior secondary school Class 3 (SS3) by every adolescent girl-child,” the statement disclosed.
"This is the underlying reason why she has been advocating for a separate budget line for girl-child education in the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs budget: education of the girl-child is our top priority; we advocate strongly for it because as we see it, you educate a woman you have empowered the woman," it continued.
The minister reaffirmed her dedication to giving girls a second chance at higher education after they were forced to leave school for pregnancy, marriage, or other reasons.