KEY POINTS
• Nigeria and Italy are strengthening cooperation around a proposed Global Partnership for Education financing campaign seeking to raise $5 billion.
• President Bola Tinubu said the GPE campaign aligns with Nigeria’s focus on improving education through wider access and stronger teacher capacity.
• Vice President Kashim Shettima said Nigeria is expanding education financing through domestic resources and innovative funding channels.
• Italy pledged €50 million to GPE programmes and interventions, while governments and donors made wider commitments expected to support at least 370 million children globally.
MAIN STORY
Nigeria and Italy have strengthened cooperation around efforts to mobilise $5 billion for global education financing through the proposed Global Partnership for Education campaign.
President Bola Tinubu said the initiative was consistent with Nigeria’s education agenda, particularly its focus on expanding access and building the capacity of teachers.
Tinubu spoke in a video message on Wednesday in New York during the Multiply Possibility High level event, held on the margins of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The event, tagged “A New Era for Education Financing”, brought together government leaders, development partners and other stakeholders to discuss ways of closing the financing gap in education.
Vice President Kashim Shettima said Nigeria regarded education as an investment in economic productivity, national prosperity and stability rather than a peripheral item in its development plans.
He said the administration had increased resources for education since Tinubu assumed office in 2023, alongside reforms aimed at strengthening basic education financing, improving foundational learning and widening access to tertiary and technical education.
Shettima also pointed to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as part of efforts to expand access to higher education while strengthening connections between education, skills, employment and enterprise.
Beyond conventional budgetary allocations, he said the Federal Government was exploring other lawful domestic sources of funding.
According to Shettima, Tinubu had directed that funds recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, once legally cleared and no longer subject to litigation, should be channelled to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
He added that the Federal Executive Council had recently approved consideration of unclaimed dividends and dormant funds for the same purpose, subject to applicable legal requirements.
Shettima said the approach reflected Nigeria’s position that education financing should draw on every responsible and lawful domestic source available.
He cited Nigeria’s partnerships with the World Bank and GPE through HOPE EDU, saying the programme was expected to reach about 29 million children and 500,000 teachers across the country.
The vice president said international financing should build on, rather than replace, domestic investment in education.
He also urged participants to use the financing campaign to create a broader commitment to human capital development rather than treat it solely as a fundraising effort.
Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, in a video presentation, praised Tinubu’s leadership and Nigeria’s efforts to improve educational outcomes across all levels.
Meloni also called for stronger commitment from partners in the global alliance to address declining education outcomes in developing countries.
UN Deputy Secretary General, Dr Amina Mohammed, thanked partners for their interest in improving education financing in developing countries and said change should begin with government choices.
She called on international financial institutions to support countries that are committed to improving educational outcomes by helping create the fiscal space needed for such investments, including teacher capacity building.
Chair of the GPE Board of Directors, Dr Jakaya Kikwete, also called for faster action on education financing, noting that education remained central to human rights, security and peace.
He said the GPE campaign was being driven by declining development assistance for education at a time when the financing gap was widening.
Girls’ education activist Malala Yousafzai called for greater collaboration in ideas and resources, arguing that global partnerships could deliver stronger results than isolated country interventions.
She also urged multilateral organisations and governments to increase resources and efforts directed at gender equality in education.
The high level meeting ended with financial commitments from governments and donors towards the education of at least 370 million children globally. Italy pledged €50 million for GPE programmes and interventions.
THE ISSUES
- The proposed $5 billion campaign is intended to mobilise additional resources for education globally as development assistance declines and financing needs widen.
- Nigeria’s position places domestic financing at the centre of education investment, with development assistance, concessional finance, philanthropy and innovative financing expected to complement national resources.
- The government is also looking at additional lawful domestic funding sources for education, including recovered funds and unclaimed dividends and dormant funds, subject to legal requirements.
- The scale of the HOPE EDU programme means financing is linked directly to access to education and teacher capacity, with about 29 million children and 500,000 teachers expected to be reached in Nigeria.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“It is an investment in our economic future, national productivity, and the prosperity and stability of our people.” – Vice President Kashim Shettima
“GPE does not replace national investment; it multiplies it.” – Vice President Kashim Shettima
“Domestic resources must remain the anchor, complemented by development assistance, concessional finance, philanthropy and innovative financing.” – Vice President Kashim Shettima
WHAT’S NEXT
The proposed GPE campaign will seek to mobilise $5 billion in financing, while participating governments, donors and development partners continue efforts to expand education funding. Italy has already committed €50 million to GPE programmes and interventions.
BOTTOM LINE
Nigeria and Italy are backing a global effort to raise $5 billion for education, with Nigeria stressing domestic financing as the foundation for additional international support. The campaign is also receiving financial commitments from governments and donors, including Italy’s €50 million pledge.
