Ahead of the 2026 Global Partnership for Education (GPE) replenishment summit scheduled for October, stakeholders have begun strategizing on mobilizing $5 billion for the GPE Fund and unlocking an additional $10 billion in co-financing for education transformation in Africa.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja at a high-level international dialogue on educational financing organized by Global Campaign for Education (GCE), ActionAid Nigeria, Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) and others, the stakeholders called for increased domestic financing, improved budget implementation and stronger accountability to address persistent education funding challenges.

The Country Director of ActionAid, Andrew Mamedu, who was represented by the Director of Programmes, said the meeting was convened to develop Nigeria’s position and strategy ahead of the global financing event to be co-hosted by Nigeria and Italy.

According to him, their aim is to increase budgetary allocation to the sector and ensure that the budgeting is channeled towards the right components and people, as well as ensure it is gender-sensitive.

Odo noted that the global benchmark for education financing is 15 per cent of annual national budgets, but said Nigeria’s allocation remains below the benchmark.

He, however, observed that some states have allocated more than 15 per cent of their budgets to education, stressing that the critical issue was not only budgetary provisions but actual implementation and value delivered.

He identified infrastructure, learning materials, digital education, teachers’ remuneration and timely payment of salaries as areas requiring urgent and increased investment.

According to the ActionAid official, poor infrastructure remains a major challenge, with some children still receiving lessons in inadequate facilities and under trees, while Nigeria is also lagging behind other countries in the adoption of technology-driven education.

He added that there was also a need to strengthen teachers’ welfare, noting that adequate remuneration and timely payment were essential to improving the quality of education.

The Nigeria Focal Person for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Blessing Ikeguru, in her remarks, said external funding from GPE and other development partners could support education transformation but should not replace the government’s responsibility to finance the sector.

She said the GPE model encourages governments and development partners to examine the volume, equity and efficiency of domestic education financing as part of broader efforts to transform education systems.

According to her, Nigeria’s education financing landscape involves the federal, state and local governments, including statutory transfers and dedicated interventions for basic education, making coordination, transparency and reliable expenditure information essential.

She said the priority should be not only to increase the resources allocated to education but also to improve the quality of expenditure.

“We must therefore ask: are our resources reaching the children and communities with the greatest needs? Are our education budgets credible and fully implemented? Are public resources being used efficiently? Are our investments producing measurable improvements in access, learning and equity?” she asked.

The National Moderator of the CSACEFA, Peculiar Caleb, said their aim was to ensure the budget to the education sector is as debated, that there is accountability, timely release and that it serves its intended purpose, which is ensuring quality education for every African child.

She said, “We are not just talking about large numbers, but one thing we are trying to call the government out for is the timely release of this budget, because education is under crisis. We look at the insecurity happening right now. We look at children not being safe in school.”