Kano State has emerged as the highest-ranked sub-national government in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for education spending, according to the 2026 Sub-National Education Spending Index developed by the University of Paris.
The report ranked Kano first among 209 first-level sub-national governments across the 15 ECOWAS member countries, underscoring the state’s sustained investment in the education sector.
According to the index, Kano recorded an overall Sub-National Weighted Aggregate Education Spending Index (S-WAESI) score of 87.21, ahead of other top-performing regions, including Dakar and Saint-Louis in Senegal.
Lagos State was the next highest-ranked Nigerian state, placing 16th overall.
The assessment measured government commitment to education using indicators such as actual education expenditure, spending per student, budget execution, education priority, transparency and evidence-based reporting.
The methodology allocated 35 points to actual education spending, 25 points to spending per student, 20 points to budget execution, and 10 points each to education priority and transparency.
The report attributed Kano’s performance largely to its strong education expenditure and effective budget execution, making it the best-performing sub-national government in the ECOWAS region.
The ranking covered states, regions, districts and municipalities across Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Togo, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde.
The development follows the Kano State Government’s declaration of a state of emergency on education aimed at addressing long-standing challenges through increased funding, improved infrastructure and expanded access to quality education.
Since the declaration, the state government has increased budgetary allocations to the sector, channeling resources into the construction and rehabilitation of schools, recruitment of teachers, provision of learning materials and expansion of educational opportunities across the state.
The Kano State Accountability Forum on Education (K-SAFE) described the recognition as a reflection of the state’s sustained commitment to improving access to education, strengthening school infrastructure and enhancing education planning and budget implementation.
Education stakeholders also said the ranking validates the state’s policy direction following the declaration of the state of emergency on education and underscores the importance of sustained public investment in improving learning outcomes and human capital development.
Gov. Abba Yusuf allocated 29.5 per cent and 30 per cent of the state’s annual budgets to education in 2024 and 2025, respectively, among the highest allocations to the sector in the country.
The allocations formed part of the administration’s education recovery agenda designed to address years of infrastructure decay and improve the quality of teaching and learning.
The government, in collaboration with international development partners, also developed a comprehensive education recovery plan aimed at ensuring the effective implementation of reforms and maximising the impact of investments in the sector.