She noted that despite the humanitarian aid received, most of this funding is directed toward health and nutrition, with very little devoted to early learning, responsive caregiving or psychosocial support.
Concerned groups have warned that Nigeria may lose nearly $89 million in early childhood development (ECD) support over the next two years due to decline in global aid.
The warning was issued at the National Consultative Meeting on Children in Crisis and Displacement, convened in Abuja by the Moving Minds Alliance (MMA) in collaboration with government ministries, development partners and civil society organisations.
The two-day dialogue aimed to strengthen Nigeria's national approach to supporting young children affected by conflict, emergencies and internal displacement.
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The Interim Director at MMA,, Katie Murphy warned that Nigeria's progress in supporting crisis-affected young children is at risk due to anticipated global aid cuts.
Ms Murphy explained that Nigeria was one of the top global recipients of ECD-related aid in 2023, receiving $270 million in development funding and $27 million in humanitarian funding.
However, she noted that most of this funding was directed towards health and nutrition, with very little devoted to early learning, responsive caregiving or psychosocial support.
With global development assistance expected to decline by 30 per cent, she warned that Nigeria "could lose nearly $89 million in ECD-related support within the next two years."
"This creates both a risk and a tremendous opportunity," she said, calling for domestic financing mechanisms that can sustain long-term ECD programming.
Children's needs should not be reduced to survival alone
Ms Murphy condemned the recent abduction of students in Kebbi State, describing the incident as "deeply saddening and angering."
She said MMA stands united with the families, teachers and surrounding communities in the call for urgent action, not only for the children's safe return but also to ensure they receive "responsive, supportive mental health and psychosocial support services upon their return."
She also said the global community often overlooks the developmental needs of young children during emergencies.
"If support for young children is addressed at all, it is often limited to the bare essentials required for survival. But we fail to consider: What happens afterwards? What happens to the children who survive, but without the foundation they need to recover, to learn, to connect, to build?" she asked.
She added that scientific and economic evidence for investing in ECD is already overwhelming.
Launch of new strategy for Nigeria engagement
The meeting also featured the official launch of the Moving Minds Alliance Strategy, built on three core pillars including growing, developing and diversifying a community of ECD-in-crisis advocates; accelerating innovation and new ways of working in crisis response; and generating and promoting uptake of evidence and learning.
Ms Murphy said the strategy will support Nigeria's ambition to build systems aligned with the upcoming Global Financing Summit on the Early Years in 2027.
"We believe Nigeria can play a vital role in shaping a bold national commitment that inspires global action," she said.
Domestic financing gaps and fragmented projects
During a panel discussion on domestic financial analysis, the Programme Manager at Impact Investors Foundation, Kingsley Godwin, noted that although Nigeria has multiple policies supporting early childhood development including the National Policy on Education (2021), implementation remains poor.
Mr Godwin, however, identified the absence of a central coordinating body as a major barrier.
"The challenge has been weak-quality implementation. There's not a central organisation across key ministries that will implement this effectively," he argued, adding that Nigeria may need a legislative instrument mandating ministries to deliver ECD services.
On his part, Godffrey Orji, Project Lead at Sterling One Foundation, pointed to a mismatch between budget allocations and actual spending.
Mr Orji, while describing a landscape where multiple actors run small, uncoordinated projects, said, "It's not as though the state is not doing any work. It's not as though the private sector is not doing any work. But there's a lot of side-replication."
He added that some ECD-related funds remain unaccessed due to bureaucratic gaps.
"When you speak to the fund managers, they also have resources that haven't been accessed by some of the committees we have. So you start to ask yourself -- what is the issue?" he said.
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He therefore called for project-wise pooled financing, greater synergy and a unified national roadmap for allocating resources across education, health, protection and WASH sectors.
Call for blended financing and private sector participation
Mr Godwin proposed blended financing arrangements that would give private investors confidence to support ECD interventions.
He urged the creation of formal structures that outline ministry responsibilities from federal to local government levels.
Mr Orji also suggested the creation of an ECD-focused pooled fund that could be co-financed by government and development partners but managed independently.
"You could look at a ten-status fund managed by an independent fund manager," he said, arguing that such mechanisms already work for SMEs in other sectors and could be adapted for child development.
Ms Murphy urged stakeholders to seize the moment to build sustainable systems for Nigeria's youngest and most vulnerable children.
"How can we ensure that every child in crisis has that 'someone', the caring adult or community support, that each of us once had?" she asked while noting that investing in them will make them survive and thrive.
