{
  "id": 13887955,
  "title": "End child marriage, invest in girls, Ezekwesili tells stakeholders",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/end-child-marriage-invest-in-girls-ezekwesili-tells-stakeholders",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-12T04:58:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Trust",
    "slug": "daily-trust",
    "url": "https://dailytrust.com/end-child-marriage-invest-in-girls-ezekwesili-tells-stakeholders/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Minister of Education and Founder of Human Capital Africa, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has urged stakeholders to invest in the education of girls to combat the issue of child marriage and empower young women. In her statement on the International Day of the Girl Child, Ezekwesili cited UNICEF's 2026 estimates, which reveal that nearly one in five girls worldwide are married before the age of 18, equating to roughly 650 million women and girls today who were married as children. She highlighted that over 12 million girls are still married each year, with sub-Saharan Africa experiencing the highest prevalence at 31 percent. In Nigeria, the situation is particularly alarming, with an estimated 23.6 million women and girls married before the age of 18, the largest number in West and Central Africa. Ezekwesili expressed concern about the severity of the issue in certain parts of the North, such as Jigawa, where a staggering 78 percent of women aged 20-49 were first married before turning 18, and 63 percent left school to do so. The cost of inaction, according to her, is substantial, with a Columbia report estimating losses of up to $175 billion annually, or nearly $2.5 trillion by 2040, due to lost productivity and higher health risks associated with child marriage. The report also warns that aid cuts, weakening global commitment to women's rights, and rising conflict could impede or reverse progress. While acknowledging that significant strides have been made, with an estimated 68 million child marriages averted over the past 25 years through girls' education, legal reform, and social protection, Ezekwesili emphasized that continued investment in girls' education is crucial. She noted that each year of secondary education reduces a girl's likelihood of marrying before 18 by five percentage points or more, and in Niger, the removal of direct costs for middle school for rural girls led to a 19 percentage point lower probability of marriage per additional year of secondary education. Ezekwesili concluded that if every African girl were to complete secondary education, child marriage could be almost eradicated.",
  "summary": "A former Minister of Education and the Founder, Human Capital Africa, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has called on stakeholders to invest in the girl child’s education, saying it is the only way to stop child marriage and empower the girl child. In a statement on the International Day of the Girl Child, Ezekwesili said UNICEF’s 2026 estimates […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}