Nigeria and Italy have strengthened collaboration on a Global Partnership for Education (GPE) financing campaign targeting $5 billion for education financing worldwide.
The partnership was highlighted on Wednesday in New York during the Multiply Possibility high-level event, “A New Era for Education Financing,” held on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a video message to the gathering, said the GPE vision aligns with Nigeria’s education agenda, particularly efforts to improve learning outcomes through greater access and teacher capacity building.
The President also commended GPE stakeholders for their efforts to accelerate education financing globally.
Shettima: Education is an investment
Representing President Tinubu at the event, Vice President Kashim Shettima said Nigeria considers education a key investment in the country’s economic future, productivity and prosperity.
“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.
“Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office in 2023, our Administration has substantially increased resources devoted to education, while pursuing reforms to strengthen basic education financing, expand foundational learning, and improve access to tertiary and technical education.
“Through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, we are widening access to higher education, while strengthening the link between education, skills, employment and enterprise.”
Shettima said Nigeria was also exploring funding sources beyond traditional budgetary allocations.
According to him, President Tinubu directed that liquid funds recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), once legally cleared and free from litigation, be channelled to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
He added that the Federal Executive Council had also approved consideration of unclaimed dividends and dormant funds for the same purpose, subject to relevant legal requirements.
Shettima said the measures reflected Nigeria’s position that education financing requires the mobilisation of responsible and lawful domestic resources.
Citing Nigeria’s partnerships with the World Bank and GPE through HOPE-EDU, Shettima highlighted the potential impact of international cooperation on education.
“The programme is expected to reach approximately 29 million children and 500,000 teachers across Nigeria.”
He said the GPE campaign was designed to complement, rather than replace, domestic investment.
“This is precisely why GPE matters. GPE does not replace national investment; it multiplies it. The ambition before us is to mobilise US$5 billion for GPE and, through that investment, unlock additional financing for education in partner countries.
“Domestic resources must remain the anchor, complemented by development assistance, concessional finance, philanthropy and innovative financing.”
The Vice President said Nigeria’s growing young population could become one of the country’s biggest economic assets if young people have access to quality education, relevant skills and meaningful opportunities.
He said the response to declining global aid “must therefore be smarter multilateralism: using scarce international resources to leverage much larger investments.”
Italy pledges €50m to GPE
Shettima urged participants to make the campaign more than a fundraising exercise, describing it as “a renewed compact for human capital” involving national leadership, international partnerships and responsible financing.
He also thanked Italy and GPE for their partnership, saying Nigeria’s role as co-host was not simply to ask the international community to invest more in education.
Instead, he said, Nigeria wanted “to demonstrate that we are investing in education ourselves.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in a video presentation, praised President Tinubu’s leadership and Nigeria’s efforts to improve educational outcomes across all levels.
She also urged partners in the global alliance to increase their commitment to education in developing countries.
At the event, Italy pledged €50 million for GPE programmes and interventions, while governments and donors made contributions towards education for at least 370 million children globally.
Amina Mohammed, Malala seek stronger education financing
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed thanked partners for their commitment to improving education financing in developing countries.
She said the changes being sought must begin with choices made by governments and called on international financial institutions to help committed countries create the fiscal space needed to improve educational outcomes.
She also highlighted the importance of teacher training and motivation in achieving education goals.
Chair of the GPE Board of Directors, Dr Jakaya Kikwete, said accelerating education financing was necessary as development assistance for education declines and financing gaps widen.
He noted that education remained central to human rights, security and peace.
Meanwhile, girls’ education activist Malala Yousafzai stressed the importance of cooperation in mobilising ideas and resources.
She urged governments and multilateral organisations to commit more resources to gender equality in education and address the specific needs of girls, particularly in developing countries.
The high-level event was jointly hosted by Nigeria, Italy and the Global Partnership for Education as part of the Multiply Possibility campaign at UNGA 81.
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