“Education financing should recognize the particular needs of disadvantaged communities” —Olalekan A. Babatunde
Last week, on 23 September 2026, Nigeria and Italy strengthened their partnership to mobilize US$5 billion for global education financing over the 2026-2030 period through the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). The announcement was made at a high-level event in New York on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. This comes with the additional ambition of unlocking US$10 billion in co-financing for quality education in developing countries.
The event titled “Multiply Possibility: A New Era for Education Financing,” brought together government leaders, international development partners, education advocates and other stakeholders to address the global education funding gaps. The initiative comes at a critical time for the global education sector, as many countries grapple with inadequate funding, persistent learning deficits, teacher shortages, and unequal access to educational opportunities.
As the global financing challenge endures, the commitment means a great deal to us in Africa, where education remains central to economic growth, poverty reduction, social inclusion, and sustainable development. Yet millions of children on the continent continue to face barriers to accessing quality education.
The GPE campaign seeks to address these challenges by mobilizing resources for education systems in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Its investment case envisages support for approximately 750 million children across 96 partner countries, alongside improvements in learning, teacher development, and education-system resilience.
The campaign also aims to encourage countries to strengthen their domestic education budgets, recognizing that international assistance alone cannot provide a sustainable solution to the global education-financing gap. The US$5 billion target is therefore part of a broader financing strategy that combines donor contributions, domestic resources, and additional financing from development institutions, philanthropic organizations, and private-sector partners.
Italy’s partnership with Nigeria is central to the campaign. The Italian government pledged €50 million for GPE programs and interventions. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also called for stronger international support and sustained investment in education in developing countries.
But what does this initiative mean for Nigeria? Nigeria’s education sector would be impacted in several areas if the goals and objectives are pursued coherently and effectively. Education financing, teacher development, access and equity, learning outcomes, and education-sector partnerships will receive the needed boost. For instance, domestic budgetary allocations will be complemented by international financing and partnerships, thereby delivering greater access. There will be enormous support for expanding educational opportunities, particularly for disadvantaged and underserved populations.
The initiative also highlighted Nigeria’s leadership role. Its participation represents a significant engagement in international efforts to advance education financing. Speaking at the New York event, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, described education as an investment in Nigeria’s economic future, productivity, prosperity, and stability. He emphasized that education should not be treated as expenditure at the margins of national development, but as an essential investment in the country’s human capital.
President Tinubu, in a video message, said the GPE’s objectives aligned with Nigeria’s education priorities, particularly improving learning outcomes, expanding access, and strengthening teacher capacity. Nigeria’s role extends beyond participation in the campaign. According to the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, the country accepted the co-hosting responsibility to contribute to global education development and demonstrate its commitment to investing in education at home.
For the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), the campaign presents an opportunity to strengthen the case for increased investment in senior secondary education as a strategic component of Nigeria’s human-capital development agenda. Although the GPE campaign is not an automatic funding allocation to NSSEC or to Nigerian senior secondary schools, its financing principles are relevant to the sector.
NSSEC and its partners can use this moment to identify investment-ready programs in science and technology, digital learning, teacher professional development, school leadership, equity and inclusion, sports and talent development, infrastructure, and skills acquisition.
Above all, Nigeria’s participation in global education financing should translate into stronger domestic investment and a more sustainable financing framework for senior secondary education, as well as for basic and tertiary education.
On a global scale, the success of the campaign will ultimately depend on how effectively financial commitments translate into educational improvements. Mobilizing billions of dollars is an important step, but the real test lies in whether the resources lead to better-equipped schools, stronger teaching, improved learning outcomes, and greater educational opportunities for disadvantaged children.
Governments must therefore ensure that financing commitments are matched by effective implementation, transparent reporting, and sustained political commitment. The initiative also reinforces the need to balance performance with equity. Education financing should recognize the particular needs of disadvantaged communities and ensure that children in underserved areas are not excluded from the benefits of investment.
In conclusion, the Nigeria–Italy initiative carries important implications for Nigeria’s domestic education priorities. It reflects a growing recognition that education financing is a shared global responsibility. The country’s leadership in the campaign should therefore be accompanied by sustained efforts to mobilize resources, improve spending efficiency, strengthen partnerships, and ensure that investment reaches learners and schools.
As the world works towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the message of the Multiply Possibility campaign is clear: education requires more than declarations of commitment. It requires resources, effective institutions, and measurable results.
For Nigeria, the challenge is to translate its role in the global financing initiative into stronger education outcomes at home. The ultimate measure of success will not be the amount of money announced, but the number of children whose educational opportunities and life prospects are transformed.
♦ Dr. Babatunde is a Fellow at Nigeria’s Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, a Part-time Professor at China’s Zhejiang Normal University; writes via austinebabatunde@yahoo.com
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