Nigeria’s out-of-school children may soon find hope as the State of Kuwait has pledged to support 200,000 of these vulnerable children, helping them acquire education and essential skills to thrive in a competitive world.
The Ambassador of the State of Kuwait To Nigeria, Mr. Salim Khalifa Almuzayen, announced this lifeline during the celebration of 64th National Day and 34th Liberation Day anniversary of the State of Kuwait in Abuja as part of the efforts to strengthen bilateral ties with Nigeria in the field of education and other critical sectors.
The Kuwaiti envoy noted that the pupils and students will benefit from the “Reaching Out-of-school children project funded by his country in partnership with the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF).
“In this context, I would like to mention the ambitious and pioneer project funded by Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development with distinguished partners and UNICEF in Kaduna State named, “Reaching Out of School Children” Project, which aims to assist over 200,000 students”, he said.
Nigeria has a very high number of out-of school children, a disturbing trend estimated to be around 18.3 million as of late 2024, making Nigeria the country with the most out-of-school children in the world. This number includes children aged 6–14 and the threat of increasing numbers scares Nigeria and the global community.
The United Nations development agencies, the Nigerian government and other international organizations including some countries have made efforts to tackle this menace to no avail as the number has often increased. The situation is worse in the northern parts of the country, a situation that has severe consequences on the nation’s economy and the security.
The implications are enormous, some of which include; lack of skilled workforce, hindering economic development; increasing poverty, perpetuating social issues like crime, and damaging the country’s future potential.
The assistance from Kuwait might stir the government to increase funding and allocate more resources to education infrastructure, teacher training, and school supplies as well as providing accessible schooling options, and enforcing compulsory education law.
From the assurance given by the Kuwaiti envoy, the resources from the Gulf country will also be invested into tackling traditional beliefs and practices that discourage education, particularly in rural areas. It will also provide flexible learning models like mobile schools and community-based programs to reach marginalized children.
Sources from the Kuwaiti mission in Nigeria said the oil-rich country remains committed to investing in the future of Nigerian youths through education as well as in agriculture.
On the bilateral ties between Kuwait and Nigeria, the envoy commended “excellent and historical bilateral relations, which dated back to the 60s of the last century”, adding that the Al-Sabah School built in Kaduna State at the period, not only buttressed the depth of their relations but also indicated prospects for future cooperation.
He said: “I will like to commend the excellent and historical bilateral relations between the State of Kuwait and the friendly Federal Republic of Nigeria, which extend since the 60s of the last century, as the Al-Sabah School, which was built in Kaduna State in that era, reflected the depth of these historical relations and showed further prospective to develop new horizons for cooperation in various areas between the two friendly countries.”
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, who was represented by Senior Councilor, Middle East and Gulf Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Adeolu Okenla, noted that since the establishment of diplomatic contact between the two countries in 1971, and subsequent resident diplomatic representation in January 1981, relations between both countries have advanced to the level of ambassadorial representation, including cooperation across political and economic spheres.
The Nigerian government also commended the State of Kuwait for its contribution towards regional peace and development, especially within the Gulf Cooperation Council.
“Nigeria commends the State of Kuwait for its contribution to regional peace and development in the Middle East region, especially within the Gulf Cooperation Council, which include member states such as the State of Kuwait, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman.
“The free education policy of Kuwait from primary school to the university level that has put the country’s total adult literacy to 96.46 per cent is highly commendable, equally among other achievements”, Okenla stated.
