The federal government yesterday partnered the Nigerian Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) to strengthen advancement offices in federal tertiary institutions as part of efforts to diversify university funding sources and improve the quality of education.

Speaking at the launch of National University Advancement Programme (NUAP), in Lagos, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, explained the partnership is aimed at equipping federal and state universities with the capacity, expertise, and global best practices required to raise funds beyond government subventions.

He noted that public funding alone can no longer meet the growing needs of tertiary education.

According to him, the initiative focuses on building effective advancement offices within universities, enabling them to engage alumni, attract philanthropic support, and sustainably manage endowment funds.

“As government funding for tertiary education continues to decline globally, universities must begin to explore additional ways of mobilising resources,” the minister said. “This programme is about guiding institutions on how to build capacity, develop technical expertise, and adopt global standards in fundraising and endowment management.”

The programme, he added, will serve as an opportunity to provide universities with practical toolkits and technical assistance, including guidance on setting up boards of trustees, investment teams, governance frameworks, and reporting structures to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of endowment funds.

Alausa said many universities already have advancement offices, but are yet to optimise their potential, stressing that the current initiative is intended to help them quickly adopt effective fundraising models that complement budgetary allocations from government, TETFund, and other sources.

Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of NHEF, Mr. Wale Adeosun, noted that sustainable university financing is critical to restoring Nigerian universities to a globally competitive position.

According to him, the programme is aimed at strengthening institutional advancement structures within universities, enabling them to mobilise private-sector support, alumni contributions, and philanthropic funding to complement government resources.

He explained that NHEF was established over 20 years ago following a partnership among leading global foundations, including the MacArthur, Rockefeller, Ford and Packard foundations, to support higher education development in Africa, with Nigeria as a major focus.

“At inception, the goal of NHEF was to help Nigerian universities become self-sustaining,” Adeosun said, adding that the MacArthur Foundation initially selected four Nigerian universities to participate in the initiative before additional institutions, including the University of Nigeria and the University of Lagos, were incorporated.

Today, he said, NHEF works with a growing network of universities across the country, focusing on strengthening governance, faculty development, student success, and institutional advancement.

Adeosun noted the foundation’s work is structured around three core pillars: improving university administration and governance, strengthening faculty capacity through exchange programmes with universities in the United States, and supporting students through leadership and scholarship initiatives.

The NHEF chairman also emphasised the importance of partnerships, thanking the federal ministry of education, university vice-chancellors, governing councils, and international partners for their continued support of the foundation’s mission.

He expressed optimism that the National University Advancement programme would help universities develop long-term fundraising strategies, build strong alumni relations, and attract sustainable funding for teaching, research, and infrastructure development.

President and Chief Executive Officer of Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Mr. Samaila Zubairu, expressed its readiness to support endowment fundraising and the development of data centres in selected Nigerian universities as part of efforts to sustain quality education and prepare students for the country’s digital future.

The proposed data centres, he said, are intended to support teaching, research, and innovation, while preparing students and institutions for the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence and the digital economy.

“The idea is not just fundraising for its own sake, but fundraising that delivers infrastructure critical to the future of education,” he stated.

Zubairu said his organisation is aligning with the federal government’s drive to advance 10 Nigerian universities by supporting comprehensive fundraising campaigns focused on alumni contributions and long-term endowment structures.

According to him, “the initiative will begin with two pilot universities, with a focus on mobilising financial resources and engaging alumni to contribute directly to the development of their respective institutions.

“We want to create programmes that allow us to actively engage alumni and encourage them to give back through endowments targeted at their universities.”