Effects of Gendered Education Investment on Economic Growth in Nigeria

Abstract

There has been an ongoing debate in economic literature on the role of gendered education investment in economic growth. This study investigates the effects of gendered investment in education on economic growth in Nigeria. The specific objectives are to examine the combined effects of female secondary school enrolment, government recurrent expenditure on education, and the Gender Parity Index (GPI) for primary school enrolment on Nigeria’s real GDP per capita. Annual data from 1990 to 2023 on government recurrent expenditure on education was obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin, while data on real GDP per capita, female secondary school enrolment, and the GPI for primary school enrolment were sourced from the World Development Indicators. Real GDP per capita was used as the dependent variable, while the independent variables comprised government recurrent expenditure on education, female secondary school enrolment, and the GPI for primary school enrolment. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model was employed as the estimation technique. The ARDL long-run results indicate that both government recurrent expenditure on education and female secondary school enrolment have a positive and statistically significant effect on real GDP per capita. Conversely, the GPI for primary school enrolment has a negative and statistically significant long-run effect on real GDP per capita. In light of these findings, the study recommends, among other measures, that the Nigerian government should institutionalise a long-term education financing framework, prioritising consistent, accountable, and outcome-driven investments to ensure that educational expenditure translates into sustainable economic growth. Additionally, government policies should focus on removing socio-economic barriers to girls’ education by providing scholarships, enforcing anti-child marriage laws, and expanding school networks in rural areas to maximise labour force participation and productivity.