Nigeria and Italy have strengthened collaboration towards implementing the proposed Global Partnership for Education (GPE) financing campaign aimed at mobilising $5 billion for education worldwide.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the GPE initiative aligns with Nigeria's agenda of improving educational outcomes through increased access and capacity building for teachers.
Tinubu stated this on Wednesday in New York, United States, during the Multiply Possibility high-level event, tagged "A New Era for Education Financing", held on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
In a statement issued after the event, the spokesman to the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, said Tinubu, in a video message, commended stakeholders in the GPE for their efforts to accelerate education financing globally.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who is representing Tinubu at the global gathering, said education should be seen as an investment in Nigeria's economic future, productivity and the prosperity and stability of its citizens.
"It is an investment in our economic future, national productivity, and the prosperity and stability of our people," he said.
Shettima said the administration had, since 2023, increased resources devoted to education while pursuing reforms to strengthen basic education financing, expand foundational learning and improve access to tertiary and technical education.
He said the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) was also widening access to higher education while strengthening the link between education, skills, employment and enterprise.
The Vice President said Nigeria was looking beyond traditional budgetary allocations, adding that Tinubu had directed that funds recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), once legally cleared and free from litigation, be channelled to NELFUND.
He said the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had also recently approved the consideration of unclaimed dividends and dormant funds for the same purpose, subject to relevant legal requirements.
Earlier, in a video presentation, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni commended Tinubu's leadership and Nigeria's efforts to improve educational outcomes across all levels.
She called on partners in the global alliance to demonstrate greater commitment to reversing the decline in education in developing countries.
Also speaking, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed thanked partners for their interest in improving education financing in developing countries.
She said the changes being sought by stakeholders should begin with the choices governments make.