The Malala Fund has awarded $2.95 million to organisations advancing girls’ education and rights in Nigeria as part of $9.8 million in grants distributed globally during its 2025/2026 financial year.
The fund disclosed this in its annual report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
According to the report, Nigerian beneficiaries supported advocacy, improved education financing and initiatives to help more girls enrol in and complete school.
The report highlighted policy developments in Bauchi and Kano states aimed at improving access to education for girls, including married girls and adolescent mothers.
In Bauchi, the State House of Assembly passed a menstrual hygiene bill providing for free sanitary pads in schools to help reduce absenteeism. The state also adopted its Gender in Education Policy 2026–2030, which includes provisions supporting married and pregnant girls returning to formal education.
In Kano, the government adopted a gender-responsive education budget framework designed to improve resource allocation for girls, particularly those in rural communities.
The state also adopted national school re-entry guidelines for married girls and adolescent mothers. The report said approximately $100,000 was allocated in Kano’s 2026 budget to support school re-entry initiatives.
The fund reported that 34 per cent of Nigerian girls marry before age 18, with the rate rising to about 50 per cent in the Northeast and Northwest.
Globally, the organisation awarded grants to 43 organisations across nine countries, focusing on advocacy, education financing and access to safe, quality schooling.
