Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has secured a landmark $62.8 million Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) for the implementation of the Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROOSC) project in the state.

The historic deal — the Kuwait Fund’s first-ever intervention in Nigeria — was signed in Abuja between the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Finance, and the Kuwait Fund. Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, signed on behalf of Nigeria, while Director General of the Kuwait Fund, Dr. Waleed Al-Bahar, signed for his agency.

Governor Uba Sani, at the ceremony, described the MoU as a major victory for Nigeria’s education sector and a bold step in Kaduna’s push to bring back out-of-school children into the learning system.

The ROOSC project, backed by international development partners, will deliver 102 climate-resilient schools and rehabilitate 170 learning centres across Kaduna’s 23 local government areas, with a focus on inclusive education, school safety, and community reintegration of vulnerable children — including girls, those with disabilities, and internally displaced persons.

With over 18 million children out of school in Nigeria, the ROOSC initiative is expected to serve as a blueprint for sustainable, community-based educational reform in the country.

Governor Sani noted that Kaduna State has already fulfilled 100% of its counterpart funding obligation, further proving its commitment to transparency and accountable governance.

“Since May 29, 2023, we’ve made education the cornerstone of our development agenda,” the governor stated.

“In 2024, we allocated 25% of our state budget to education, and that has risen to 26.14% in 2025. We have built 60 new secondary schools, renovated over 1,049 classrooms, and established three modern vocational centres.”

Partners backing the ROOSC project include the Islamic Development Bank, Global Partnership for Education, Education Above All Foundation, Save the Children International, and UNICEF.

Governor Sani also commended the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education for supporting Kaduna’s education vision, reiterating that the state is “fully committed to delivering quality, inclusive education for every child.”

The ROOSC project aligns with the Federal Government’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) agenda and the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), which seeks inclusive and equitable quality education for all.