UNICEF Pledge $50m to Boost Education across Insurgency-Affected States

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on Wednesday, said it would be supporting the North-East States of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe with $50 million intervention to advance education programmes in the region ravaged by Boko Haram insurgency and conflicts.

Speaking to newsmen in Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital, during the launch of the second phase of multi-year resilience education program (MYRP) funded by Education Cannot Wait (ECW), Vanessa Lee, the UNICEF Chief of Education, said the fund would enhance access to learning in schools and non-formal education centres.

She said the objectives of the event were to officially kick off the implementation of the three-year project 2025-2027, which aims at building on the efforts and achievements made in the first phase of the project that ended in November 2024.

She said, “this is a very important event for the BAY (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe) states because we are launching the Education Can not Wait, a multi-year resilience program which is giving 50 million dollars to the three states as intervention in education to support children’s access to learning and their quality learning in schools and non-formal education centres,”

While stating that the first phase of the project improved access for over 530,000 marginalised children across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States, and benefited more than the initial 170,000 children targeted, adding that the second phase targets 130,000 students

“The total number of students we are targeting this time around is 130,000, but there are many other targets, including children with special needs, training teachers, and supporting children, especially girls, to go to school. A whole range of different targets”, she noted.

“This program starts now, it’s for three years. We have implemented to be implemented across the three states”, she added.

She furthermore noted that the initiative aligns with the Federal Ministry of Education’s Roadmap for the period 2024-2027, which outlines the building blocks and strategies to address critical education challenges and capitalise on strategic opportunities in order to transform and elevate access to quality of education in alignment with national goals and global standards.

While expressing optimism that the programme will achieve its intended goal, she noted, “This launch will formally kick off the programme in the three states, and I hope it will be well coordinated and implemented under the leadership of the State and Federal Ministry of Education.

“The main objective of this event is to officially kick off the implementation of the three-year project 2025-2027), which aims at building on the efforts and achievements made in the first phase of the project, which ended in November 2024”.

Also speaking, Abba Wakilbe, Borno State Commissioner of Education, commended UNICEF support to the BAY States while assuring that the States would not relent in promoting educational initiatives

“We pledge to give you our hundred percent support. We thank you very much for this, and we welcome you all”, he said.