The UK Government has reaffirmed its commitment to support international education in Nigeria by building strong partnerships with universities in the country.
The commitment was made at the on going Global Conference in Abuja, with the themed, “Building sustainable and relevant tertiary education institutions and systems in Africa.”
The three-day conference, which is being hosted by the British Council, provides a platform for tertiary education senior leaders, policymakers and industry experts to debate the future of further and higher education.
In his opening remarks, the UK Government’s International Education Champion, Steve Smith, announced the commencement of three projects between the UK and Nigeria universities.
“I am pleased to confirm that starting in January 2025 three new projects with a focus on expanding partnerships between institutions in Nigeria and the UK will be supported through the British Council Transnational education (TNE) exploratory grants scheme.“Such partnerships not only contribute to transforming local systems and strengthening institutional capabilities, but they also create pathways for cross-sector innovation, bringing academia and industry closer together.”
British High Commissioner, Richard Montgomery, said quality is key to nations growth.
“With over 60% of Africa’s population under 25, and projections that population will reach 2.5 billion by 2050, the continent needs to harness a demographic dividend. To do that, more and better-quality higher education is needed. Education partnerships in the continent need to evolve. And the focus must be on strengthening Africa’s domestic higher education systems.”
Following the conference, Sir Steve Smith is to lead a delegation of 11 UK universities to engage with their Nigerian counterparts.
This will include a visit to Lagos to explore opportunities for sustainable, mutually beneficial TNE partnerships.
The conference had the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Mr. Chris Maiyaki, and other notable education stakeholders in attendance.
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