How a joint EU and UNICEF partnership brings education to millions of children in Northwestern Nigeria

The Education and Youth Empowerment in North-Western Nigeria programme, launched in 2023, supports the Nigerian government in providing inclusive and equitable quality education and skills development to children in the Nigerian states of Sokoto, Kano and Jigawa. The EU is providing €40 million to this project through its Neighbourhood Development and International Cooperation Instrument.

This co-operation between the EU and UNICEF will provide safe and accessible learning environments to over 5,112,862 children in these rural areas, with a particular focus on bringing and keeping girls in schools. Over two/thirds of girls ages 15-19 in the north of the country are unable to read, while Nigeria overall currently has more than 10 million children out of school . This joint programme provides children with foundational literacy and numeracy skills which include a stronger ability to read, to understand simple stories and to do simple arithmetic.

If parents knew about the value of schooling, they would work to make sure their children were enrolled in schools.

16-year-old out-of-school girl from Sokoto. Quote taken from UNICEF research into Reaching and Empowering Adolescent Girls in North West Nigeria (2023)

Another way in which this education programme is helping out-of-school children obtain valuable, vocational skills and development opportunities is through the introduction of Accelerated Basic Education Programme (ABEP). This is a compressed curriculum which allows learners to progress to higher schools, including technical and vocation education, to better prepare them for future employment. The ABEP initiative prioritises female youth in particular, with the aim of supporting them to find sustainable routes into the labour market.

Schools are also benefitting from this joint EU and UNICEF programme, through the implementation of the National Teachers Policy (FME, 2025) which includes professional development opportunities for teachers, a reformed school curriculum, structured pedagogy and the provision of adequate teaching and learning materials for over 645 teachers and facilitators.In this way, the National Teachers Policy supports the establishment of classrooms that are inclusive, safe, and resilient environment for children and teachers alike.

School Support Officers from the Local Government Education Authorities, the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), the State Agency for Mass Education (SAME), the State Ministry of Education (SMoE) and the Federal Ministry of Education will benefit from reform initiatives which aim to deliver evidence-led, quality decision-making on education.

Civil society organisations and community leaders are involved in the government-led Education Management Information System (EMIS), which is revitalising the entire data and digitalisation process. Furthermore, a National Programme Steering Committee (NPSC) and State Programme Steering Committee (SPSC) have been put in place to effectively coordinate and manage the programme.

Taken together, all these efforts will make a lasting contribution to the goals of Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) as a whole.

Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education, 2026

In Nigeria, more than a quarter of children of primary school age are out of school, with out-of-school rates for rural children being higher than the Nigeria average at all levels of education. By working together as reliable partners, the EU and UNICEF are helping children in Nigeria to increase the opportunities available to them and reach the potential that they deserve.

Education and Youth Empowerment in North-Western Nigeria: key facts

Over 645 teachers and facilitators are being supported by the National Teachers Policy (FME, 2025), which includes professional development opportunities for teachers, a reformed school curriculum, structured pedagogy and the provision of adequate teaching and learning materials.

Over 5,112,862 children in rural areas across North West Nigeria are benefitting from this co-operation between the EU and UNICEF.

Europe as a reliable partner

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European Union, 2026