(Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu(R) amd Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Roberto Mengoni(L). Photo Credit: Punch News)
Nigeria and Italy have agreed to set up a joint working group to drive forward a Global Partnership for Education financing campaign with the goal of mobilising five billion dollars for education worldwide.
The initiative, known as the “Multiply Possibility Campaign,” is designed to support learning opportunities for approximately seven hundred and fifty million children ahead of the Global Education Summit scheduled to take place in Rome in September 2026.
The campaign is also expected to unlock an additional ten billion dollars in domestic education financing by 2030.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, revealed the agreement during a meeting with the Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Roberto Mengoni, in Abuja on Wednesday.
The disclosure was contained in a statement released on Thursday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa.
The minister emphasised that education remains a top priority under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing the particular importance of the summit given Nigeria’s rapidly growing youth population.
She noted that the partnership would help open up opportunities for young Nigerians and also serve as a means of addressing migration concerns through strengthened cooperation between the two countries, expressing the government’s desire to keep young people engaged and productive within the country.
Ambassador Mengoni, speaking earlier, said discussions also touched on preparations for the summit as well as areas of bilateral cooperation including tourism, economic development and defence.