Nigeria and Italy have strengthened their partnership on a global campaign to mobilise $5 billion in education funding through the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).
The collaboration was announced at a high-level education financing event jointly hosted by Nigeria and Italy on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.
According to Channels Television, the initiative seeks to increase education financing worldwide and support millions of children in developing countries.
President Bola Tinubu, in a video message, said the GPE vision aligns with Nigeria’s education agenda, particularly efforts to improve learning outcomes through greater access to education and investment in teacher capacity.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented Tinubu at the UN gathering, described education as an investment in Nigeria’s economic future, productivity, prosperity and stability.
Shettima said the Federal Government had increased resources for education while pursuing reforms aimed at strengthening basic education financing, improving foundational learning and expanding access to tertiary and technical education.
He also highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, saying it was being used to widen access to higher education and strengthen the connection between education, skills, employment and enterprise.
The Vice President said President Tinubu had directed that legally cleared recovered funds from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission be channelled into the 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 Nigeria’s partnership with the World Bank and GPE through HOPE-EDU was expected to reach about 29 million children and 500,000 teachers across the country.
He said the global GPE campaign was targeting $5 billion, with domestic resources expected to remain the foundation while development assistance, concessional financing, philanthropy and innovative funding mechanisms complement national investment.
The event also featured contributions from UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, GPE Board Chair Jakaya Kikwete and education activist Malala Yousafzai.
Italy pledged €50 million towards GPE programmes and interventions. Governments and donors at the event made contributions aimed at supporting education for at least 370 million children globally.
Malala called for stronger international collaboration and increased investment in gender equality in education, particularly measures addressing the needs of girls in developing countries.
