The development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) has called for a shift from symbolic male participation in girls’ education programmes to deliberate and accountable allyship capable of improving educational outcomes for girls across Nigeria.
The call followed the launch of a report titled “The Potential of Male Engagement and Allyship for Girls’ Education in Nigeria”, commissioned by the Malala Fund in partnership with MenEngage Nigeria and authored by dRPC.
The Executive Director of dRPC, Dr Judith-Ann Walker, presented the report in Abuja on Wednesday.
According to her, the study examined how men and boys can contribute more effectively to advancing girls’ education while ensuring that girls remain at the centre of advocacy, leadership and decision-making.
Walker said the report was developed against the backdrop of a deepening girls’ education crisis in Northern Nigeria, characterised by high rates of school exclusion and child marriage.
According to data cited in the report from the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), 50 per cent of girls in the North-East and 41 per cent in the North-West were out of school, compared with the national average of 26 per cent.
She added that net school attendance rates stood at 48 per cent in the North-East and 56 per cent in the North-West, below the national average of 68 per cent.
The report also found a strong relationship between low educational attainment and child marriage, with 55 per cent of girls in the North-East and 60 per cent in the North-West married before the age of 18, compared with the national average of 34 per cent.
Similarly, it said 25 per cent of girls in the North-East and 30 per cent in the North-West were married before age 15, double the national average of 15 per cent.
Walker said more recent survey findings from 2024 suggested that girls’ school attendance had declined further, reflecting the combined effects of poverty, insecurity and restrictive gender norms.
According to her, the research found that male engagement is already present in many girls’ education interventions, but is rarely designed as genuine allyship.
“There is a significant difference between participation and allyship. Allyship requires intentional efforts to challenge harmful norms, reflect on power and privilege, and support positive outcomes for girls,” she said.
Walker explained that many projects measure success by the number of men attending meetings, workshops and community activities, rather than by evidence of changes in behaviour or improvements in girls’ enrolment, retention and completion rates.
She noted that meaningful allyship requires creating structured opportunities for men and boys to reflect on masculinity, power and accountability and to use their influence in support of girls’ rights and education.
The report also highlighted gaps in policy advocacy, noting that men are frequently present in advocacy coalitions and policy discussions but are not always linked to specific girls’ education priorities or implementation efforts.
According to her, stronger strategies are needed to identify influential male actors, prepare them for advocacy roles and support them in driving implementation and accountability beyond policy adoption.
She said community-level engagement emerged as one of the most important spaces for changing social norms affecting girls’ enrolment, re-entry, retention and safety in schools.
“It is important to engage men as part of the solution rather than simply treating them as obstacles.
“However, such engagement must be carefully designed, with safeguards against backlash, stigma and unintended consequences,” Walker said.
Speaking at the launch, the Chief Executive Officer of Malala Fund, Nabila Aguele, said the report provided an opportunity to rethink how men and boys could support girls’ education without taking attention away from girls themselves.
Aguele said fathers, policymakers, faith leaders, media practitioners and community actors all have important roles to play in dismantling barriers that limit girls’ educational opportunities.
In a keynote address, Malala Fund Co-founder, Ziauddin Yousafzai, said meaningful progress in girls’ education required men to move beyond public support and become active allies who challenge discriminatory norms and promote equal opportunities for girls.
Also speaking, Deborah Samuel, a 19-year-old girls’ education advocate from Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Kaduna State shared her personal experience of how education transformed her life and highlighted the importance of male support in advancing girls’ education.
She recalled a childhood friend who was academically gifted but was forced to leave school because her family could not afford her education and did not consider educating girls a priority.
According to Samuel, the experience demonstrated that talent alone is insufficient without access to opportunities and support.
Samuel noted that many girls still face barriers such as poverty, gender discrimination, child marriage and teenage pregnancy.
