The Federal Government has secured a $25.35 million concessional loan from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) to support the Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROOSC) initiative in Kaduna State.
The agreement, signed on Tuesday in Abuja, is part of a broader $62.8 million blended financing package involving international partners aimed at improving access to quality education for Nigeria’s most vulnerable children.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, represented by the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, described the initiative as a critical step toward addressing Nigeria’s education gap.
“This partnership embodies our commitment to transparency, accountability, and impactful social investment. With millions of children still out of school, particularly in the North, every dollar must translate into tangible change for these children and their communities,” Edun stated.
He commended Kaduna State’s leadership and expressed optimism that the project would serve as a model for other states.
The Director-General of KFAED, Dr. Wahid Al-Bahar, emphasized that the project goes beyond infrastructure, calling it an “investment in hope.”
“By enrolling over 100,000 children, constructing and upgrading more than 200 schools, and training thousands of teachers, we are ensuring that no child is left behind,” Al-Bahar said.
Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to education, noting that the government had already fulfilled its counterpart funding obligations.
“Education is the foundation of our transformation agenda. In 2025, we allocated 26% of our budget to education. Through this program, we will build 102 new climate-resilient schools and rehabilitate 170 others, prioritizing girls, children with disabilities, and displaced children,” Sani said.
The ROOSC program will focus on:
- Constructing and upgrading schools in underserved communities,
- Reintegrating out-of-school children into formal education,
- Enhancing teacher training to improve learning outcomes, and
- Implementing community-based solutions to boost enrollment, especially for girls and children with disabilities.
The initiative underscores Nigeria’s broader efforts to reduce its out-of-school children population, currently estimated at over 10 million.
Leave a comment