Nigeria Champions $5bn Education Fund, Pushes For Global Reforms at 81st UNGA
By Shalom Oludele
Nigeria led a broad diplomatic offensive alongside international partners at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, pushing for urgent action on pressing global challenges.
The Nigerian agenda at the summit covered education financing, counter-terrorism, migration cooperation, international security, access to development capital and reform of global governance institutions.
The delegation was led by Vice President Kashim Shettima and key cabinet members, who argued that Africa’s sustainable development requires stronger domestic revenue mobilisation, fairer access to global capital and more effective multilateral partnerships.
At the centre of Nigeria’s engagements was a joint initiative with Italy to mobilise $5 billion for global education through the Global Partnership for Education, unveiled at the Multiply Possibility high-level event on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a video message to the event, said the vision of the Global Partnership for Education aligns with his administration’s commitment to expanding access to quality education, improving learning outcomes and strengthening teacher capacity.
Vice President Shettima told world leaders that the Federal Government now treats education as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s economic future rather than routine public expenditure, describing it as a compact for human capital development.
He outlined domestic financing measures introduced since 2023, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, and disclosed that recovered assets from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, unclaimed dividends and dormant account funds are being channelled into the education sector, complemented by international programmes like HOPE-EDU with the World Bank and GPE targeting 29 million children and 500,000 teachers.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised Nigeria’s leadership at the event and announced a €50 million pledge from Italy towards GPE programmes to boost access to education in developing countries.
On security matters, Minister of Defence Gen. Christopher Musa called for sustained international support for victims of terrorism while reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to regional and global counter-terrorism efforts.
Nigeria also advanced migration cooperation talks with the European Union, pledged to reclaim its leadership role in global peacekeeping operations and urged international financial institutions to reduce borrowing costs for developing nations.
In a major boost for Africa’s multilateral aspirations, the Group of Four nations expressed strong support for permanent African representation on a reformed UN Security Council, a demand strongly canvassed by Nigeria.
