The Swedish Government has pledged to collaborate with the Oyo State Government to enhance the education sector, among other sectors in order to bolster the state’s economy.
The Ambassador of Sweden to Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and ECOWAS, Her Excellency Ms Annika Hahn-Englund said this when she led a delegation from the Swedish Embassy on a courtesy visit to Governor Seyi Makinde at his private residence in Ikolaba, Ibadan.
Welcoming the visitors, Governor Makinde reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to improving the education sector, expressing “the readiness of the state to provide necessary support in the areas of education infrastructure.”
Governor Makinde said that his administration has “recruited about 6000 active teachers on merit, who are the ones carrying the burden of education in the state, and more will still be recruited to improve the quality of education.”
He stated: “I believe that education should not be centralised because we have certain parts of the country that are far ahead in terms of their infrastructure. I believe that as a country, we need to do certain things so that we can free up states and even local government areas to handle most of their things. So, we are happy to look at the solutions that you want to present.”
The Governor explained that his administration had, at inception, put together a roadmap for accelerated development of Oyo State with focus on the four major pillars of health, education, security, and expansion of the economy through agribusiness and development of infrastructure.
He said his first budget had ensured to meet the UNESCO recommended standard on budgetary allocation to the education sector.
Governor Makinde noted that apart from the agribusiness sector, which has been a priority area for improving the economy of the state, the government has also realised that education could play an important role in expanding the economy.
Providing support
He promised that the Oyo State government would provide the necessary support to any programme that can bring about more improvements in the education system.
He said: “If it is something new, let us try it. Let us utilise the current structure that we have and see what we can get out of that. I want to let you know that we are committed to expanding our economy, pushing the limits in terms of unlocking some of the potentials that are here.”
The Ambassador, Ms Hahn-Englund said “the Swedish Government is interested in partnering and complementing the efforts of Governor Makinde in developing the state’s education sector.”
She noted that the interest also extended to other focused sectors of valuable economic investments including technology-related agribusiness, transportation, renewable energy and culture.
According to her, Sweden is ready to learn from Oyo State on ways to better improve the economy.
Also in the team are Swedish investors, led by Business Sweden’s Regional Manager West Africa and Transport Practice Lead Africa, Anthonia Adenaya Huard.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
