Nigeria, Feb. 1 -- The World Bank has announced a $1.2 billion investment to boost girls' education and empowerment across 18 states in Nigeria.

The initiative is part of the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) programme, relaunched in Abuja.

The targeted states include Borno, Ekiti, Kebbi, Kaduna, Plateau, Katsina, Kano, Adamawa, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Bauchi, Jigawa, Yobe, Kwara, Gombe, Sokoto, and Zamfara.

Speaking at the event on Friday, World Bank Country Director Ndiame Diop, represented by Senior Social Protection Specialist Tina George, explained that the AGILE programme focuses on increasing access to secondary education for adolescent girls and providing them with economic opportunities.

"This $...