Global leaders have mobilised $3.5 billion in international commitments to support education as Nigeria and Italy co-hosted a high-level Global Partnership for Education (GPE) event at the United Nations Headquarters in New York….
Global leaders have mobilised $3.5 billion in international commitments to support education as Nigeria and Italy co-hosted a high-level Global Partnership for Education (GPE) event at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The commitments were announced on Wednesday at the Multiply Possibility: A New Era for Education Financing event, held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The financing includes $2.1 billion in confirmed and anticipated pledges from sovereign donors to GPE, as well as $1.4 billion in co-financing commitments from development finance institutions, philanthropic organisations and private-sector partners.
GPE said partner countries also announced $471 billion in domestic education financing commitments, representing a 32 per cent increase in spending by 2030.
The event, co-hosted by Nigeria, Italy and GPE, brought together government leaders, development partners, civil society, philanthropy and the private sector to mobilise resources for education systems across more than 90 countries.
Nigeria reaffirmed its commitment to making education a central pillar of national development and human capital investment, with emphasis on improving access, learning outcomes and opportunities for children and young people.
In a video message to the event, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said GPE’s vision aligns with Nigeria’s efforts to improve educational outcomes through greater investment in access and teacher capacity building.
The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, represented Nigeria at the event, which was co-chaired by Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, and Shettima.
Nigeria stressed that mobilising resources must be matched by effective implementation to ensure that investments translate into quality education, stronger learning outcomes and more resilient education systems.
The government also highlighted the need to prioritise children and communities facing the greatest barriers to education, with the goal of ensuring that children are not excluded because of their circumstances or place of birth.
The GPE campaign was launched in 2025 with a target of raising $5 billion for its 2026–2030 financing cycle and unlocking an additional $10 billion in co-financing. The partnership says the funding is intended to support improved education for about 750 million children in 96 countries.
Nigeria said it would continue working with Italy, GPE, development partners, the private sector and civil society to translate the commitments into measurable improvements in education.
The government said the success of the pledges would ultimately be measured by their impact on learning, the resilience of education systems and opportunities available to the next generation.
