Despite a 300% return on investment that Early Childhood Development (ECD) offers, Nigeria is falling drastically short in funding and prioritising the critical 0 to 5 age window, keeping millions of children from reaching their full physical and cognitive potential, experts have warned.
According to data presented at a Gateeld briefing on Early Childhood Development, the first five years of a child’s life involve the formation of one million neural connections every second. Yet, Nigeria is missing this irreversible window of brain development due to fragmented budget allocations, insecurity, and an over-reliance on foreign interventions.
Globally, the picture shows that investing in ECD yields massive economic and social dividends: an average return of $13 for every $1 invested. In Nigeria, however, interventions are heavily centralised in urban areas, leaving rural divides wide open and stunting the growth potential of the nation’s future workforce.
“The brain is being built right now, from conception up to age five. What happens or fails to happen in this period of a child’s life can shape that individual for life,” Megor, Founder of Omugo Academy, said.
“ECD is not charity; it is neuroscience, it is economics, and it is very important to national interest. It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men,” she added.
