Nigeria and Italy are stepping up efforts to mobilise $5 billion for global education through the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), as world leaders seek new ways to close the widening education financing gap.
The campaign was highlighted on Wednesday at the “Multiply Possibility: A New Era for Education Financing” high-level event in New York, held on the margins of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Nigeria and Italy co-hosted the event with GPE.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a video message, said the GPE vision aligns with Nigeria’s education agenda, particularly efforts to improve learning outcomes, expand access and strengthen teacher capacity.
Representing the President, Vice President Kashim Shettima described education as an investment in Nigeria’s economic future, productivity, prosperity and stability.
“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,” Shettima said.
He said the Federal Government had increased resources devoted to education since 2023 while pursuing reforms aimed at strengthening basic education financing, expanding foundational learning and improving access to tertiary and technical education.
Shettima also highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying it is helping widen access to higher education while strengthening the connection between education, skills, employment and enterprise.
The Vice President said Nigeria was also exploring lawful domestic sources of funding beyond conventional budgetary allocations. He cited efforts involving recovered EFCC funds that are legally cleared, as well as consideration of unclaimed dividends and dormant funds, subject to legal requirements.
Nigeria’s partnership with the World Bank and GPE through the HOPE-EDU programme, he added, is expected to reach about 29 million children and 500,000 teachers across the country.
“This is precisely why GPE matters. GPE does not replace national investment; it multiplies it,” Shettima said.
He stressed that domestic resources should remain the anchor, complemented by development assistance, concessional finance, philanthropy and innovative financing.
Shettima also pointed to Nigeria’s large youth population, saying quality education, relevant skills and meaningful opportunities could help young Nigerians contribute more strongly to the country’s economic future.
He called for “smarter multilateralism” as international development assistance declines, with available resources used to leverage greater investment in education.
Italy also announced a €50 million contribution to GPE programmes and interventions, while governments and donors at the event made commitments expected to support education initiatives reaching at least 370 million children globally.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in a video presentation, praised Nigeria’s efforts to improve educational outcomes and called for stronger international commitment to reversing declining education financing and outcomes.
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed urged greater support for countries working to improve education, including efforts by international financial institutions to create the fiscal space needed for education investment.
GPE Board Chairman Jakaya Kikwete said education remained central to human rights, security and peace, while girls’ education activist Malala Yousafzai called for stronger collaboration and greater attention to the educational needs of girls in developing countries.
For Nigeria, the campaign places education financing at the centre of a broader conversation about human capital, economic productivity and the future of its growing young population.