By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The European Union (EU) has raised the alarm over the continued exclusion of millions of girls from education, disclosing that about 129 million girls remain out of school, while approximately 12 million are subjected to early and forced marriage annually.
The EU warned that limited access to education and child marriage continue to undermine the rights, development and prospects of millions of girls, particularly those from vulnerable backgrounds.
The Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Gautier Mignot, said the scale of the crisis required urgent and sustained intervention by governments, development partners and other stakeholders.
Mignot warned that eliminating child marriage could take another 300 years if the world maintains its current pace of progress, calling for stronger policies and programmes to protect girls and expand their opportunities.
He spoke on Monday in Abuja at the grand finale of the 2026 National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS)-EU inter-secondary school debate organised to commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child.
Mignot called for targeted investment and sustained interventions to address structural inequalities that prevent girls from accessing education and expose them to early and forced marriage.
He said governments could not afford to treat girls’ education and protection as secondary issues, stressing that education was critical to enabling girls to develop their abilities, make informed choices and participate meaningfully in society.
According to him, the continued exclusion of girls from school deprives societies of enormous human potential, while early marriage can adversely affect their education, health, economic opportunities and participation in public life.
Mignot said the EU’s Gender Action Plan III promotes gender equality through international partnerships, with at least 85 per cent of EU-funded projects expected to incorporate gender considerations.
He added that the EU supports programmes addressing gender-based violence, adolescent reproductive health and girls’ education.
The envoy described the NILDS-EU debate as an important platform for encouraging young people to engage with issues affecting their rights and future, saying it could strengthen advocacy, confidence and leadership skills.
He also pledged that the winning team would visit the EU Delegation to learn about its operations and development programmes.
