Education Financing: Stakeholders Seek Stronger Investment to Close Nigeria’s Learning Gap

By Omoyeni Ojeifo

Stakeholders in the education sector have called for stronger political will, commitment and sustainable financing to improve access to quality and inclusive education across the country.

The key stakeholders made the call on Tuesday at a high-level international dialogue on education financing in Abuja, organised as part of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Replenishment Campaign 2026.

PerSecondNews reports that the one-day dialogue brought together government officials, development partners, civil society organisations, regional bodies and education financing experts to examine ways of strengthening investment and partnerships in the sector.

The discussions focused on the need for sustained financing to address persistent challenges affecting children’s access to quality education, while ensuring that available resources translate into better learning outcomes.

The event, organised by the Global Campaign for Education (GCE), ActionAid Nigeria, Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) and African Network Campaign for Education All (ANCEFA), also provided opportunities for stakeholders to discuss Nigeria’s education priorities ahead of the GPE replenishment.

Speaking at the event, Dr Folake Olatunji, Nigeria’s GPE focal point person at the Ministry of Education, represented by Bridget Ikeguru, affirmed Nigeria’s support for the proposed financing drive to expand resources for education and transform the sector.

“The current GPE investment proposition seeks to mobilise $5 billion from the GPE Fund and unlock an additional $10 billion in total financing, creating a potential $15 billion financing envelope for education transformation. Nigeria strongly supports this direction,” she said.

Olatunji, however, said external financing should complement rather than replace government’s responsibility to provide adequate resources for the sector.

“Domestic resources must remain the foundation. Sustainable education financing must ultimately be anchored in strong domestic resources,” she said.

“External assistance can support transformation, but it cannot substitute for government responsibility to finance education,” she added.

Speaking in her dual capacity as the National Moderator of the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA), Nigeria, and President of the African Network Campaign on Education for All (ANCEFA), Peculiar Caleb linked education financing to decisions about how public investment is distributed.

“Education financing is fundamentally a political choice. The decisions government make about how to invest in education, where to direct these resources, which teachers are supported, which schools receive infrastructure, and which communities are prioritised shape the future of our children,” she said.

In a seperate interview with PersecondNews, Caleb raised concerns about the pressure that debt, shrinking fiscal space, conflicts and emergencies could place on education budgets and called for greater scrutiny of public spending.

“Our concern, therefore, must not only be how much is spent, but who benefits, how effectively resources are used, and what difference these investments make in classrooms and communities,” Caleb said.

Addressing participants, Youssouf Tahir Ahmed, GPE-FRC Chair and Adviser to Chad’s President, described education financing as a long-term commitment to children and the future of societies.

“The financing of education is not an issue of resources; it is an issue of vision and responsibility towards future generations. We need a strong mobilisation of all partners, including governments, international financial institutions, foundations, the private sector and civil society,” he stressed.

On his part, GCE President Refat Sabbah GCE President Refat Sabbah connected the education financing crisis to wider questions of inequality and the protection of children facing poverty, conflict and displacement.

“Education is a fundamental human right, and financing it is not an act of generosity, it is a responsibility. If we are serious about multiplying possibilities, we must multiply political will, investment, solidarity and accountability,”
he said.

In his remarks, Andrew Memedu, Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, called for greater reliance on domestic revenue as official development assistance contributes less than three per cent of Nigeria’s GDP.

“Nigeria lost about $140 billion in illicit financial flows in 2024 alone. Clearly, illicit financial flows are a major issue that we can use to solve the problem of financing education,” he said.

According to Memedu, stronger domestic revenue mobilisation requires addressing tax exemptions, improving corporate tax compliance and ensuring public resources are transparently allocated to education.

“Tax justice and education finance must be pursued together. They are not independent, and if we do that, we can raise revenue with transparency while demanding better tools for our children and learners,” he said.

PersecondNews also reports that