Nigeria needs $345m education investment yearly to reintegrate 15m out-of-school children, says Education Minister Tunji Alausa

The Federal Government of Nigeria has disclosed that the country requires an estimated $345 million annual investment to reintegrate and equip approximately 15 million out-of-school children with essential skills and access to formal education.

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The announcement was made on Tuesday by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, during the inaugural Federal Ministry of Education Private Sector Breakfast Convening held in Lagos, where he outlined the scale of Nigeria’s education funding gap and ongoing reform efforts.

The proposed Nigeria $345m education investment out-of-school children plan is based on current per-capita spending requirements aimed at addressing systemic barriers preventing millions of children from accessing quality education.

Dr Alausa revealed that about 25 per cent of children aged between 5 and 14 remain out of school nationwide, with the situation significantly worse in the North-East and North-West regions, where the rate rises to 41 per cent.

He stressed that while government initiatives such as the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) are already underway, additional large-scale funding is urgently required to close existing gaps and expand access.

“The challenges in the Nigerian education sector present a marked opportunity to increase access, improve quality, and enhance systems,” Dr Alausa said, describing education as a core pillar of the Renewed Hope agenda targeting a $1 trillion economy by 2030.

The government also highlighted ongoing investments in skills development, including N10.6 billion disbursed to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres and N3.4 billion paid directly to trainees.

According to the minister, 1.3 million applications were received for the TVET programme, with 160,000 learners matched to training centres and 72,000 currently enrolled under biometric verification systems.

Further investments include over N156 billion allocated to rehabilitate medical and engineering institutions, alongside funding for laboratory upgrades and student accommodation across multiple tertiary institutions.

Dr Alausa also confirmed the launch of the Student Venture Capital Grant initiative, which provides equity-free funding of N50 million to support innovation among STEMM students, with 65 candidates already shortlisted.

On international collaboration, he revealed that Nigeria is partnering with the Italian government on a global education conference expected to mobilise up to $15 billion in funding for foundational learning across 90 countries.

Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Ahmad, emphasised that private sector participation is essential for achieving meaningful transformation, noting that government alone cannot meet the scale of demand.

She added that the Education Sector Wide Approach (ESWA) framework would ensure transparency and coordination in mobilising resources and tracking outcomes.

Under NESRI, the ministry reported progress including the integration of one million children into formal education, training of 1,400 Tsangaya teachers, and digital mapping of millions of students and thousands of schools nationwide.

Officials also highlighted the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, which has disbursed N128 billion to support over 1.1 million students.

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Education experts at the roundtable noted that each additional year of schooling in Nigeria increases earnings by 5.7 per cent and productivity by 6 per cent, underscoring the economic importance of sustained investment in the sector.