Nigeria, Italy Launch $5bn Education Drive Ahead of Rome Summit By Raymond Enoch
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 global education development ahead of the 2026 Global Education Summit in Rome, Italy. The initiative, known as the Multiply Possibility Campaign, is expected to support learning opportunities for over 750 million children globally while unlocking an additional ten billion dollars in domestic education financing by 2030.
The development was disclosed in a statement signed by Mr. Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, anipr, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, on Thursday, 21 May 2026, following a meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and the Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Roberto Mengoni, in Abuja.
According to the statement, Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu said education remains a major pillar of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that the upcoming summit is crucial considering Nigeria’s growing youthful population. She noted that the partnership would create opportunities for skills development, employment generation and migration management through constructive engagement between both countries.
The minister further explained that Nigeria was also exploring green investments targeted at vulnerable communities to productively engage young people and reduce irregular migration. She reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Italy across critical sectors.
Speaking earlier, Ambassador Mengoni said the engagement was important for both nations as co-chairs of the Global Partnership for Education to harmonise plans for the summit, including agreement on date and venue. Discussions during the meeting also focused on tourism, economic cooperation, defence collaboration and broader educational development initiatives between the two countries.
