Assessing the impact of decentralized governance on adult education policy implementation in Nigeria: Evidence from stakeholders and global case studies

Decentralized governance is globally promoted to improve education service delivery, yet its effectiveness in Nigeria’s adult education sector remains problematic. This study assessed the impact of decentralized governance structures on adult education policy implementation by examining their effectiveness, key challenges, stakeholder collaboration, and lessons from global case studies. A quantitative descriptive survey design was adopted. Data were collected from 464 adult education programme supervisors across Nigeria using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that decentralized governance is largely ineffective, with insufficient funding, inadequate infrastructure, and corruption or political interference identified as major challenges. Stakeholder collaboration was infrequent and had limited impact on policy implementation. The study concludes that without fundamental reforms, decentralization will continue to constrain adult education development in Nigeria. It provides empirically grounded recommendations for strengthening coordination, funding transparency, and stakeholder engagement to improve the governance and implementation of adult education policies.