Jigawa, Kano, Sokoto to Benefit as FG, EU Kick Off €40M Education Initiative Targeting Out-of-School Crisis

The Federal Government (FG) of Nigeria, in collaboration with the European Union (EU), has officially launched a major initiative to combat the soaring number of out-of-school children in the North-West region. The €40 million “Education and Youth Empowerment in North-West Nigeria (EYEPINN)” project was formally commenced with the inauguration of a National Programme Steering Committee (NPSC) in Abuja on Thursday, October 16, 2025.

The multi-pronged program is designed to deliver a decisive blow against Nigeria’s severe educational crisis, where an estimated 20 million children are currently out of school, a majority of whom are concentrated in the northern states.

The intervention will focus specifically on Jigawa, Kano, and Sokoto States, addressing three core challenges:

1. Reducing Out-of-School Children: The initiative aims to dramatically increase enrollment and access to inclusive quality basic education.
2. Teacher Empowerment: It will support teacher development and capacity building to improve the quality of instruction in the region.
3. Youth Skills Acquisition: The programme also incorporates components to promote skills development and empowerment for the youth.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, chairs the newly inaugurated NPSC, which will provide strategic guidance for the project’s direction and ensure strict accountability. The EU Delegation’s Team Leader for Human Development, Leila Ben Amor Mathieu, described EYEPINN as the delegation’s first standalone education project in the country, underscoring its strategic importance.

Project partners, including UNICEF and Plan International, stated that the initiative will specifically work with Quranic schools to integrate out-of-school and nomadic children into the basic education system, thereby enhancing foundational literacy and numeracy. Furthermore, the EU is investing an additional €5.4 million in a separate program dedicated to strengthening the resilience and capacity of teachers in the challenging environment of the North-West.

The Ministry of Education praised the EU’s sustained commitment, emphasizing that the project is a crucial step toward achieving a more resilient education system that ensures every child, regardless of gender or background, has the opportunity to learn and thrive.