The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, in partnership with the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) and Associates for Change (AFC), has launched the inaugural Policy Learning Working Group (PLWG) to support the design, implementation, and scale-up of the Accelerated Education Program (AEP) in Northern Nigeria, with a particular focus on Borno State.
The initiative aims to guide strategy, scale innovations, and align education reforms with national development goals by promoting inclusion, resilience, and sustainable learning outcomes.
The PLWG comprises representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education, State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs), civil society organisations, and key development partners involved in education innovations across Nigeria.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister of State for Education, represented by Dr Claris Ujam, Deputy Director at the Department of Educational Planning, Research and Development, and KIX Africa 19 Focal Point, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to addressing the issue of out-of-school children. He said the Nigerian Education Data Initiative (NEDI) is working to harmonise data from both NGO and government sources into a unified dashboard for daily updates.
Dr Adedeji Adeniran, Director of Research at CSEA, emphasised the need for collaboration among governments, NGOs, and education innovators to drive education reforms across Nigeria between 2025 and 2026.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser on Education to the Borno State Governor, Dr Abubakar Tijani, highlighted the dire educational challenges in the state, noting that while illiteracy may not directly cause violence, idleness often does. He commended the Borno State Governor for implementing measures to address the crisis.
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During a three-day stakeholder engagement and co-creation workshop, PLWG members were trained on stakeholder mapping, data collection and analysis, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), research ethics, gender equity and social inclusion, among other strategies to advance education in Nigeria and across Africa.
The project is funded by the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE-KIX) and aims to develop education solutions in conflict-affected areas, including Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Nigeria. It is being implemented by CSEA in Nigeria, AFC in Ghana, and CERFODES in Burkina Faso.
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