Nigeria and Italy Join Forces in Massive $5 Billion Global Education Financing Campaign at UNGA
Nigeria and Italy have formed a strategic partnership at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) to drive a massive 5 billion dollar Global Partnership for Education (GPE) financing campaign.
The initiative aims to revolutionize education funding globally by accelerating resource mobilization for developing nations.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a video message delivered at the high-level event in New York, stated that the GPE vision aligns perfectly with Nigeria’s domestic agenda to improve educational outcomes, expand student access, and enhance teacher capacity building.
The announcement was made during the Multiply Possibility High-level event, themed “A New Era for Education Financing,” held on the margins of UNGA 81.
Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima, representing President Tinubu at the global gathering, co-hosted the campaign alongside international leaders.
The event served as a platform for global stakeholders to commit resources toward reversing the downward trend in educational aid and to establish sustainable financial structures for human capital development.
Addressing the assembly, Vice President Shettima emphasized that the Nigerian government views education as a critical investment in the country’s economic future, productivity, and long-term stability rather than a mere fiscal expense. He highlighted that since 2023, the Tinubu administration has systematically increased budgetary resources for education while executing fundamental reforms.
To demonstrate this commitment, Nigeria is aggressively leveraging unconventional domestic revenues, including channeling legally cleared funds recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), unclaimed dividends, and dormant bank accounts directly into the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
The vice president underscored the impact of international cooperation by highlighting Nigeria’s existing alliances with the World Bank and the GPE through the HOPE-EDU programme.
The specific initiative is projected to transform foundational learning and expand tertiary access for approximately 29 million children and 500,000 teachers across Nigeria.
With Nigeria possessing a rapidly growing youth demographic, Shettima warned that a large population can only become a prime economic asset if young people are granted access to quality learning and market-relevant skills.
To back this vision, the Italian government officially pledged a generous contribution of 50 million euros specifically dedicated to GPE programmes and interventions.
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Dr. Amina Mohammed thanked the participating nations for prioritizing education funding, noting that fundamental structural changes must begin with the policy choices of individual governments. She explicitly called upon international finance institutions to assist committed developing countries in creating the necessary fiscal spaces to implement educational reforms, particularly focusing on the motivation and training of teachers.
Concurrently, GPE Board Chair Dr. Jakaya Kikwete reminded the audience that education remains foundational to achieving human rights, peace, and security in an era marked by a widening global financing gap.
