Ending child marriage in West Africa: Enhancing policy implementation and budgeting

This analysis was created to assess progress on policy implementation and funding for ending child marriage (ECM) in two West African countries, Niger and Sierra Leone following the High-Level Meeting on the Elimination of Child Marriage in 2017. Fieldwork for this research took place in Niger and Sierra Leone between January and August 2020. The focus of the budget analysis is centred around the budget cycles of three ECM-related sector ministries in each country: the ministry in charge of gender and child protection, the ministry of education, and the ministry of public health. The results of this analysis reaffirm the need for high-level decision-makers to create frameworks to generate change in order to end child marriage.

Two child-friendly versions of the reports are available in English and French.