THE United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that Nigeria lost an estimated $10 billion to the prolonged armed conflict in the country’s North-East region over the last decade.
News Point Nigeria reports that UNICEF’s Country Representative, Wafaa Saeed, made the disclosure on Wednesday in Maiduguri, Borno State, during the formal launch of a socio-economic reintegration programme for children affected by armed conflict.
Represented by UNICEF’s Child Protection Manager, Shah Mohammad Khan, Saeed said the prolonged insurgency had not only crippled the region’s economy but also undermined the income and earning potential of millions of families and young people.
“According to a 2024 study commissioned by UNICEF, the economic cost of conflict in North-East Nigeria has cost the country a staggering $10 billion over the last 10 years,” she said.
Saeed explained that the long-running violence had weakened Nigeria’s national economy, destroyed local industries, and robbed generations of children of education, stability, and livelihood opportunities.
“For too long, many children and adolescents in the region especially girls have been denied the opportunity to learn a skill or pursue their dreams,” she lamented.
She also described the North-East conflict as one of the most severe humanitarian crises in sub-Saharan Africa, marked by grave violations of children’s rights, including abductions, forced recruitment, and sexual violence.
According to her, these violations, combined with the loss of livelihood opportunities, have had far-reaching consequences on human capital development and the future productivity of the region.
To address these challenges, UNICEF launched a socio-economic reintegration programme aimed at helping children and adolescents affected by the conflict regain stability, rebuild their lives, and acquire marketable skills.
Saeed said 1,033 children, including 567 boys and 466 girls are currently benefiting from vocational skills training in various institutions across Maiduguri, Bama, Biu, Damboa, and Konduga.
“The children are being equipped with practical, market-driven skills such as tailoring, ICT, automobile repair, shoemaking, and carpentry,” she explained.
She emphasized that the goal of the programme goes beyond teaching skills, it is also about restoring hope, dignity, and opportunity to children who have endured years of trauma and displacement.
“These vocational training centres restore not just learning, but also hope, dignity, and opportunity for conflict-affected adolescents and their families,” she said.
The initiative also includes life skills education, psychosocial support, and formal certification to enable the participants transition into meaningful employment or entrepreneurship.
According to UNICEF, over a thousand children are expected to benefit from the reintegration initiative each year, helping them gain sustainable livelihoods and contribute to peace and recovery efforts in their communities.
“Graduates will not only build brighter futures for themselves but also contribute to peace, recovery, and resilience in their communities,” Saeed added.
The programme, jointly supported by UNDP, IOM, and UNODC, is part of a wider UN-backed framework designed to rebuild social cohesion and support post-conflict recovery in Nigeria’s North-East.