By Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
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 latest Sub-National Education Spending Index developed by the University of Paris.
The ranking places Kano first among 209 first-level sub-national governments across the 15 ECOWAS member states, reinforcing the state’s reputation for prioritising investment in education.
According to the published index, Kano recorded an overall S-WAESI score of 87.21, outperforming other top-performing regions, including Dakar and Saint-Louis in Senegal. Lagos State was the second-highest ranked Nigerian state, placing 16th overall.
The assessment used the Sub-National Weighted Aggregate Education Spending Index (S-WAESI), which measures government commitment to education based on key indicators such as actual education expenditure, spending per student, budget execution, education priority, transparency, and evidence-based reporting.
Under the methodology, actual education spending accounts for 35 points, spending per student 25 points, budget execution 20 points, education priority 10 points, and transparency 10 points.
The report noted that Kano excelled mainly because of its strong actual education spending and efficient 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 Kano State Accountability Forum on Education (K-SAFE) said the recognition reflects the Kano State Government’s sustained commitment to expanding access to education, improving school infrastructure, and strengthening educational planning and budget implementation.
According to the forum, the achievement is expected to further enhance Kano’s profile as a leader in education reform in West Africa while providing fresh momentum for ongoing efforts to improve learning outcomes across the state.
The latest ranking comes amid renewed attention to education financing across ECOWAS, with experts emphasising transparent budgeting, efficient resource utilisation and sustained public investment as essential drivers of quality education.