Nigeria and Italy have moved to deepen cooperation on the proposed Global Partnership for Education financing campaign, which seeks to raise $5 billion to support education development globally.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the initiative was consistent with Nigeria’s efforts to improve learning outcomes by expanding access to education and strengthening the capacity of teachers.
Tinubu spoke on Wednesday in New York, United States, during the high-level Multiply Possibility event, themed “A New Era for Education Financing”. The programme was organised on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
According to a statement issued after the meeting by the spokesman to the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Tinubu, in a video message, praised stakeholders involved in the GPE for their efforts to increase education financing around the world.
Representing the President at the global gathering, Vice President Kashim Shettima said Nigeria regarded education as a strategic investment capable of shaping the country’s economic future, productivity and the welfare and stability of its citizens.
“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,” he said.
Shettima noted that the administration had raised funding for the education sector since 2023, while introducing measures aimed at improving financing for basic education, strengthening foundational learning and broadening opportunities in tertiary and technical education.
He added that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) was expanding opportunities for Nigerians to access higher education while helping to establish stronger connections between education, skills acquisition, employment and entrepreneurship.
According to the Vice President, the government was exploring additional sources of funding beyond conventional budgetary provisions. He said Tinubu had instructed that money recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), after being legally cleared and freed from litigation, should be directed to NELFUND.
Shettima further disclosed that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had recently approved the consideration of unclaimed dividends and dormant funds as potential sources of financing for the initiative, subject to applicable legal provisions.
In an earlier video presentation, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised Tinubu’s leadership and Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen educational outcomes at different levels.
Meloni urged members of the global education alliance to show stronger commitment to addressing the decline in education across developing countries.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, who also addressed the event, expressed appreciation to partners supporting efforts to improve education financing in developing nations.
She said the reforms being pursued by stakeholders should start with the decisions and priorities adopted by governments.
