The Malala Fund has approved $1.7 million in new grants for nine Nigerian organisations working to tackle the country’s persistently high population of out-of-school girls, marking one of its largest recent investments in education advocacy in West Africa. The funding is part of a broader $4.8 million global package targeted at 21 partner organisations across Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Tanzania countries identified as having the most severe gender gaps in education access.

According to a statement released by the organisation, the latest intervention aligns with the Malala Fund’s 2025–2030 strategy, which prioritises “global regions where girls are most at risk of being excluded from formal schooling due to poverty, insecurity, cultural barriers, or systemic underinvestment.” Nigeria remains a major focus, with an estimated 27 million children out of school more than half of them girls.

The Malala Fund said the nine selected Nigerian organisations will receive financial and technical support to drive community-based advocacy, expand access to safe learning environments, and push for stronger education policies at local and national levels. The selected partners work across several states in Northern and Southern Nigeria, where challenges such as insecurity, early marriage, economic hardship, and inadequate school infrastructure continue to hinder girls’ enrollment and retention.

The organisation emphasised that the new investment aims to deepen ongoing interventions while scaling innovative models that have shown measurable success in improving school attendance among girls. It noted that Nigeria’s education crisis requires “sustained, long-term action,” adding that local partners are crucial to understanding community needs and influencing government decision-making.

In addition to Nigeria, the wider $4.8 million package will support organisations in Brazil, Ethiopia, Pakistan, and Tanzania countries facing similar structural barriers affecting girls’ education. These countries were prioritised under the Malala Fund’s global strategy due to high numbers of out-of-school girls, weak policy frameworks, and the growing effects of conflict, economic instability, and climate-related disruptions.

The Fund explained that the 2025–2030 strategy seeks to strengthen the capacity of local organisations, amplify girls’ voices in policy discourse, and ensure governments commit more resources to education. The organisation also plans to expand grant-making, research, and cross-regional collaboration to accelerate progress in countries where girls are most disadvantaged.

Since its establishment, the Malala Fund has invested in a network of education advocates working to influence policies, remove barriers to learning, and champion girls’ rights to safe and quality schooling. In Nigeria alone, the organisation has supported dozens of initiatives focusing on gender-responsive budgeting, safe-school campaigns, community mobilisation, and policy reform.

The Fund maintained that the new round of financing demonstrates its renewed commitment to ensuring that every girl “learns and leads,” as global trends indicate that millions of young women remain shut out of education despite international pledges.

With the deployment of the $1.7 million across Nigeria, the organisation expressed optimism that the intervention would accelerate efforts to reduce the alarming number of out-of-school girls and strengthen the movement for inclusive and equitable education nationwide.