Nigeria, Italy partner on global education summit, $5bn funding campaign
Nigeria and Italy have agreed to establish a joint working group to drive the proposed Global Partnership for Education (GPE) financing campaign aimed at mobilising five billion dollars for education ahead of the 2026 Global Education Summit in Rome.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, the agreement was reached during a meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and the Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Roberto Mengoni, in Abuja.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the initiative, tagged the “Multiply Possibility Campaign,” is designed to transform learning opportunities for about 750 million children globally and is expected to unlock an additional 10 billion dollars in domestic education financing by 2030.
Speaking during the meeting, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said education remains a key pillar of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that Nigeria’s youthful population makes investment in education a national priority.
She noted that the partnership with Italy would help equip Nigerian youths with skills, create employment opportunities and address irregular migration.
“We are interested in what we can do to keep our youth within our shores in productive ways,” the minister said, while calling for stronger bilateral cooperation and constructive dialogue on migration issues.
The minister also disclosed that Nigeria is exploring green investment opportunities, particularly in vulnerable communities, as part of broader efforts to improve economic opportunities for young people.
Earlier, Ambassador Mengoni said the meeting was necessary for both countries, as co-chairs of the Global Partnership for Education initiative, to agree on arrangements for the upcoming education summit scheduled for Rome in September 2026.
