Child Marriage in West Africa: Implications for Socio-Economic Development 

On 25 January, Gender Ministers from member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) made a bold declaration on child marriage through the adoption of the reviewed ECOWAS Child Policy and the Strategic Action Plan for 2019-2023. The declaration, among other things, seeks to “promote the retention of all children in formal and/or alternative quality education systems up to the age of 18 in a compulsory and progressively free manner”.

Seven of the twenty countries with the highest rates of child marriage in the world are in West Africa. The region is equally host to Niger Republic, a country with the highest prevalence of child marriage in the sub-region and the world. Existing data on the prevalence of marriage in Niger stands at a staggering 76%. While Niger records the highest prevalence, its neighbouring country, Nigeria has a record high of 3,538,000 absolute number of child marriages and ranks third in the world and first in West Africa with the highest number of child marriages. It is estimated that if the current trend of child marriage continues, 150 million girls will be married globally by 2030 and Africa would become the continent with the highest rates of child marriages. The current trends on the continent reveal that one of every three children marriages today occur in an African country. In other words, one in three married children globally live in Africa. Hence, the urgency for government, civil society, development partners and communities to accelerate efforts to address child marriage and curtail its negative impacts on the sub-region.

The economic implications of child marriage

Economically, recent research conducted by the World Bank, estimates that child marriage cost Africa at least sixty-three billion dollars in loss of human capital wealth due to lower earnings of women. This loss is based on the economic loss incurred by 12 countries who represented half of the continent’s population, suggesting that the continent could be losing double of the amount. But exactly what constitutes such economic cost?

For many girls in the region, getting married results in an end to their education as they are required to cater for their homes and raise a family. In countries including Ghana, a pregnant girl is dismissed from school to serve as a deterrent for other girls. Many child brides are bound to get pregnant within the first to third years of marriage resulting in their redrawal from school. Without a formal education, a child bride is sentenced to a life of poverty since her economic opportunities are limited to the informal economy where wages are low. This is one of the many economic cost of child marriage. The cost of illiteracy impacts not just the child bride but her family, community and nation as a whole.

The child bride is less aware of her reproductive rights and the availability of contraceptives. Given, that a child bride is more likely to start having children early, she is invariably more likely to have multiple children and less likely to space the birth of her children. This would have an impact on her health, but it equally means higher population growth. The high incidence of child birth in any country would result in increased population growth with adverse implications on public goods and services. A high population requires government to spend more on education, health, sanitation, welfare and other services provided by the State. Where a State is unable to carter for high population growth, the impacts could include high unemployment, illiteracy, inequality and high crime rates.

The economic cost of health care falls on both citizens and government. As a child herself, a child bride has limited knowledge of how to care for and raise a baby. The child bride is more likely to die at child birth since her body is not adequately developed to carry a child to term. During natural child birth, a girl has a higher probability of developing a fistula from vaginal tears. And if she survives, her child is likely to be malnourished since she lacks the requisite knowledge to effectively cater for a baby. These health difficulties present an economic challenge to any country.

Nigeria alone is estimated to loss $7.6 billion annually in lost earnings and productivity due to the impact of child marriage on education. The estimated loss of $63 billion dollars is atrocious compared to the forty-one billion dollars Africa received in Official Development Assistance in 2016. These figures imply that Africa can effectively support its own economic growth by ending child marriage.

This economic cost, that is the expenditure associated with health care, high population and lack of education resulting from child marriage, could be eliminated or avoided by putting an end to child marriage. Global progress has reduced the number of child marriage by 25 million over the last decade, however, to meet the sustainable development target of eliminating child marriage by 2030 current efforts must be accelerated, especially in West Africa.

Ending child marriage in West Africa: Some Recommendations

In this light, government should intensify its efforts at implementing the many existing policies and human rights treaties signed including the Maputo protocol, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, Convention on Consent to Marriage, Convention on the rights of the child and the African Charter on the Rights and the Welfare of the Child.

At the sub-regional level, ECOWAS should work more intricately with national stakeholders such as government ministries and civil society to ensure the effective implementation of the updated ECOWAS Child Policy. In as much as the adoption of the updated ECOWAS Child Policy demonstrates strong political will, its implementation will prove its worth. It is refreshing to know that ECOWAS plans on “prioritizing, mobilizing and allocating the necessary resources” to address the challenges affecting children in the region. Such resources could go a long way in supporting the implementation of national plans to end child marriage. ECOWAS can equally employ the existing African Union Campaign to End Child Marriage in Africa as an ideal entry point to support national process aimed at ending child marriage.

Government and institutions cannot curb this menace alone, more than ever an ECOWAS of citizens is relevant. ECOWAS citizens can help by reporting child marriages, educating families intending to marry off their daughter or consider donating to local branches of charities like Girls Not Brides who are championing an end to the practice.

The reduced rates of child marriage in countries such as Malawi, Ghana and Kenya show that it is possible to end this practice and accelerate Africa’s economic growth. With $63 billion dollars, Africa could support its own economic growth. Perhaps an Africa beyond foreign aid is possible after all.

Regina Akosua Baiden, A Feminist, Policy Advocate and Development Practitioner Writes from Accra, Ghana.