Governors agree to allocate 15% of the annual budget to education

State governors have pledged to set aside 15 percent of their annual budgets to finance the education sector.

The United Nations recommends that member states reserve four to six percent of their GDP or fifteen to twenty percent of government expenditure (annual budget) to finance education.

Many coucuries, including Nigeria, have yet to reach this threshold.

The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) organized its first international conference on girls’ education on October 10 and 11, 2024.

During the conference, 36 state governments committed to allocate at least 15 percent of their annual budgets to the education sector.

AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the Governor of Kwara State and Chairman of the NGF, spoke at the event in Abuja.

AbdulRazaq, represented by Abdulateef Shittu, Director General of the NGF, said there is an urgent need to invest in schools and address the barriers to girls’ education.

“Our commitment as a forum for financing education, especially financing girls’ education, is steadfast across states,” he said.

“We declare our willingness to meet the international benchmark of at least 15% annual budget allocation to the education sector.”

The NGF’s first conference culminated in the launch of an initiative called the Girl Child Education Volunteers’ Advocates (GICEVA).

AbdulRazaq assured that sub-national organizations will mobilize more than 774,000 volunteers from local governments to advocate for girls’ education.

According to the UN, one in three Nigerian children does not attend school: 10.2 million children in primary school and 8.1 million in secondary school.

It adds that insufficient domestic funding for primary education caused a shortage of 378,000 classrooms and about 278,000 teachers.

Among those attending the NGF conference on girls’ education was Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye. The Kennedy-Ohanenye said that from October 15, the Federal Government will begin an effort to rescue out-of-school children from the streets.

“By taking those children off the streets, we get access to their parents, especially their mothers,” she said.

“We have a comprehensive plan to empower these women so that they can adequately care for their children.

“This approach is not only intended to get children back into education, but also to increase the economic stability of their families.” Minister of Women’s Affairs.

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