Professional Development of an ECD Finance and Sustainability Model for NGO-Run Centres in North East Nigeria

NGO-operated ECD centres in North East Nigeria provide critical services in areas where government provision has collapsed, yet most lack sustainable financing models and risk closure when donor funding ends. This study developed a finance and sustainability model for NGO-run ECD centres in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa States, North East Nigeria. A professional model development methodology was employed, drawing on financial sustainability assessments of 25 NGO ECD centres, structured consultations with 20 NGO programme directors and 10 international development finance specialists, and benchmarking against social enterprise ECD financing models from Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. Assessment confirmed that 88 percent of assessed centres were entirely dependent on single-donor project funding, that 64 percent had no financial management system beyond basic accounting, and that staff costs constituted 78 percent of average expenditure with no reserves. The sustainability model specifies a three-tier financing architecture combining community contribution mechanisms, social enterprise components such as fee-paying enrolment tiers and training services, and diversified donor portfolio strategies. Financial management strengthening tools including a simplified centre budget template and cash flow planning guide are included. Expert review by 10 development finance and ECD specialists confirmed the model's practical viability. Recommendations include NEDC integration of the model into its ECD grants framework, a pilot implementation cohort of 10 centres, and 24-month tracking of financial diversification and centre continuity outcomes.

Keywords: ECD financing, sustainability model, NGO-run centres, North East Nigeria, early childhood education