Governors reaffirm commitment to early childhood development

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

The Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has  reaffirmed the commitment of all 36 state governors to making Early Childhood Development, (ECD) a strategic priority in Nigeria’s human capital development agenda.

The NGF Director, Media and Strategic Communications Yunusa Abdullahi, in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday quoted the Director-General of the NGF Secretariat Dr Abdulateef Shittu, making the commitment at a workshop on ECD.

Shittu, who was represented by Abdullahi at the North-West Zonal Consultative, made commitment of the forum on collaboration with World Bank, Human Capital Development (HCD) and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning,

Shittu described investment in the early years as a long-term investment in Nigeria’s health, education, productivity and economic future.

“The period from pregnancy through the first five years of life represents a critical window for a child’s development.

“It is during these formative years that the foundations for health, learning, cognitive development and future productivity are established.”

The director-general said Nigeria must increasingly approach ECD as a development and economic imperative rather than as an intervention limited to a single sector.

“Investing in early childhood development is therefore not only an investment in children; it is an investment in Nigeria’s human capital and long-term economic development,” Shittu said

The director general said the effectiveness of national ECD policies would ultimately be determined by their translation into concrete programmes at the subnational level.

“While national policies and frameworks provide important direction, their impact will ultimately depend on how effectively they are translated into action at the state and local government levels.

“These places us, the state actors, at the centre of Nigeria’s ECD agenda,” he said.

Shittu noted that the complexity of early childhood development requires a coordinated, multi-sectorial approach involving all relevant sectors.

“ECD is inherently multi-sectorial. No single MDA can deliver the range of interventions that a child requires to thrive.

“All sectors must work together towards shared outcomes for children,” he said.

He said that the consultative process should enable states to move from broad policy commitments to practical plans that are aligned with their specific needs and institutional realities.

Shittu, however, cautioned against treating the development of plans as an end in itself, emphasising the importance of implementation, financing, coordination and accountability.

“Our expectation is that this process goes beyond the development of plans.

“The plans developed here should provide a clear pathway for implementation, coordination, financing and accountability and, importantly, should be integrated into existing state planning and budgeting processes,” he added.

Shittu pledged that the NGF Secretariat would continue to use its convening and peer-learning role to support states in strengthening their ECD systems and translating national priorities into sustainable subnational action.

He added that the NGF Secretariat recognised the critical role of leadership in advancing early childhood development at the subnational level.

He disclosed that all 36 governors had formally reaffirmed their commitment to ECD at NGF meeting of June 17.

He recalled that the governors reaffirmed that investments in ECD were fundamental to improving health, nutrition, school readiness, learning outcomes, future productivity, and overall human capital development.

Shittu pledged that the NGF would continue to champion ECD as an important development priority while facilitating shared learning among states and strengthening collaboration with relevant partners.

The director-general urged the workshop participants to use the consultative workshop to develop realistic plans capable of producing measurable improvements in outcomes for young children.