Nigeria and Italy have strengthened their collaboration in support of a proposed $5 billion Global Partnership for Education (GPE) financing campaign aimed at expanding education opportunities for children in developing countries.
The campaign was discussed on Wednesday at a high-level event, “A New Era for Education Financing,” held on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The initiative seeks to mobilise $5 billion for education financing globally, with the funds expected to leverage additional financing for education programmes in partner countries. The GPE says a fully funded campaign could help transform education systems serving hundreds of millions of children. (Global Partnership)
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the event, described education as an investment in Nigeria’s economic future, productivity and national stability.
“For Nigeria, education is not an expenditure at the margins of our development agenda. It is an investment in our economic future, national productivity, and the prosperity and stability of our people,” Shettima said. (Channels Television)
He said the Federal Government had increased resources devoted to education since 2023 while pursuing reforms aimed at strengthening basic education financing, foundational learning and access to tertiary and technical education.
Shettima also highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as part of efforts to expand access to higher education and strengthen the connection between education, skills, employment and enterprise.
According to the Vice President, Nigeria is also exploring additional domestic sources of education financing. He said President Tinubu had directed that liquid funds recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, once legally cleared and free from litigation, be channelled to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
He added that the Federal Executive Council had approved consideration of unclaimed dividends and dormant funds for the same purpose, subject to applicable legal requirements.
Shettima said Nigeria’s partnership with the World Bank and GPE through the HOPE-EDU programme was expected to reach approximately 29 million children and 500,000 teachers across the country. (Channels Television)
He said international assistance should complement, rather than replace, domestic investment in education.
“Domestic resources must remain the anchor, complemented by development assistance, concessional finance, philanthropy and innovative financing,” he said.
Shettima also argued that declining global development assistance required a new approach to international cooperation, with scarce resources used to attract larger investments in education and human capital.
The Italian government pledged €50 million to GPE programmes and interventions at the event, while governments and other donors made additional commitments towards improving education for millions of children globally. (Channels Television)
Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, praised Nigeria’s efforts to improve educational outcomes and called for stronger international commitment to education in developing countries.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed also called on international financial institutions to support countries seeking to expand fiscal space for education, particularly in areas such as teacher training and capacity building.
GPE Board Chair Jakaya Kikwete stressed the importance of accelerating education financing amid declining development assistance and a widening global education financing gap.
Education activist Malala Yousafzai, meanwhile, called for greater collaboration among governments, multilateral organisations and other stakeholders, particularly to address barriers facing girls in developing countries. (Channels Television)
The GPE’s financing campaign is designed to mobilise $5 billion and unlock an additional $10 billion in co-financing, with the broader goal of improving education systems and learning outcomes in partner countries. (Global Partnership)
The Nigeria-Italy partnership places both countries among the stakeholders seeking to build international support for the campaign as global efforts intensify to close the education financing gap.
