The UK Government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting international education in Nigeria by building strong partnerships with Nigerian universities.
This commitment was expressed at the Going Global Conference in Abuja, themed “Building Sustainable and Relevant Tertiary Education Institutions and Systems in Africa.”
The three-day conference, hosted by the British Council, is taking place from the 26th to the 28th of November 2024. It provides a platform for senior leaders in tertiary education, policymakers, and industry experts to debate the future of further and higher education.
In his opening remarks at the conference, the UK Government’s International Education Champion, Sir Steve Smith, announced the commencement of three projects between UK and Nigerian universities. He said:
“I am pleased to confirm that, starting in January 2025, three new projects focused on expanding partnerships between institutions in Nigeria and the UK will be supported through the British Council Transnational Education (TNE) Exploratory Grants Scheme.
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“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.”
The British High Commissioner, Dr. Richard Montgomery, in his speech at the conference, stated: “With over 60% of Africa’s population under 25, and projections that the 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 on the continent need to evolve, and the focus must be on strengthening Africa’s domestic higher education systems.”
In attendance at the conference were the Honourable Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Mr. Chris Maiyaki, and other notable education stakeholders.
Following the conference, Sir Steve Smith will 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.
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