By Damilare Adeleye
The World Bank has raised concerns over a severe early childhood development crisis in Nigeria, warning that poor outcomes in health, nutrition, and early learning are constraining the country’s long-term economic growth and workforce productivity.
This was contained in the April 2026 Nigeria Development Update, titled “Nigeria’s Tomorrow Must Start Today: The Case for Early Childhood Development”. The report underscores that the period from pregnancy through the first five years of life is pivotal to human capital formation. According to the report, investments made during this window yield substantial long-term returns, including improved educational attainment and increased lifetime earnings.
“Investments during this period are highly cost-effective,” the report stated, adding that early childhood development lays the foundation for raising productivity and boosting incomes. Despite this, Nigeria’s performance remains significantly below that of peer countries. On average, 110 out of 1,000 Nigerian children die before age five, 40% are stunted, and 52% are not developmentally on track before entering school.
The World Bank attributed these outcomes to deficiencies in maternal healthcare, child nutrition, and access to clean water, especially during the first 2,000 days of life. Although Nigeria has introduced reforms, progress remains uneven. Stunting rates are more than three times higher among children from poor households than among those from wealthier ones.
Regional inequalities are also pronounced. Some southern states record under-five stunting rates below 15%, whereas parts of northern Nigeria report figures exceeding 60%. The report notes that these gaps persist into adulthood, limiting upward income mobility.
The report further identified structural weaknesses, citing fragmented policy frameworks and weak inter-agency coordination. It noted that public spending increases have had limited impact due to inefficiencies and poor alignment.
To reverse the trend, the World Bank advocates for a shift toward an integrated, child-centered system that addresses health, nutrition, and early learning simultaneously. The institution stressed that improving these outcomes is an economic necessity to tackle low productivity and persistent poverty.