Stakeholders Demand Better Education Financing Ahead of 2026 Summit

Stakeholders have urged for increased, timely, and accountable financing for education in Nigeria as preparations are made for the 2026 Global Partnership for Education (GPE) replenishment summit scheduled for October. This call was made during the GPE Replenishment Campaign 2026 – High-Level International Dialogue on Education Financing, organized by ActionAid Nigeria, Global Campaign for Education, Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All, and African Network Campaign on Education for All.

Andrew Mamedu, Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, represented by Celestine Okwudili Odo, emphasized the need for Nigeria to develop a clear financing and implementation plan beyond the summit. He noted that Nigeria is far from international education financing benchmarks and called for domestic financing to raise education spending to 15% of the national budget and allocate 4-6% of GDP to education.

Bridget Ikeguru, Assistant Director Basic Education at the Ministry of Education, stated that while international financing could aid Nigeria's education transformation, it cannot replace government responsibility.