ABUJA, Nigeria. The President of the Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF), Prince Abdulsalami Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan, has paid a formal working visit to Dr Idowu Olagunju, Secretary-General of the Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO (NATCOM-UNESCO). The meeting advanced dialogue on an enhanced institutional mandate for the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria and on strengthening the country’s leadership within UNESCO’s global mission.

National commissions occupy a distinctive place in the architecture of UNESCO. Under Article VII of the Organization’s Constitution, each Member State is invited to associate its principal bodies in education, science, culture and communication with the work of UNESCO, ordinarily through a national commission. NATCOM-UNESCO is that bridge for Nigeria, and engagement with it is central to aligning the work of civil society institutions with the nation’s commitments to the Organization.

Aligning national priorities with the 2030 Agenda

Aligner les priorités nationales sur le Programme 2030

The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of both institutions to strengthening Nigeria’s role in UNESCO’s global mission and to aligning national priorities with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Discussions turned on five areas of common purpose:

• The consolidation of institutional frameworks for SDG delivery.
• The expansion of youth empowerment initiatives.
• The promotion of gender equality.
• The advancement of digital transformation.
• The fostering of inclusive and equitable education.

UNESCO REF’s institutional mandate

Le mandat institutionnel de l’UNESCO REF

Prince Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan affirmed UNESCO REF’s readiness to work closely with NATCOM-UNESCO to mobilise expertise, resources and innovative programmes for the benefit of Nigerian communities. He described the partnership as a model of multi-stakeholder cooperation, capable of accelerating measurable progress on sustainable development and of reinforcing Nigeria’s standing within UNESCO’s global network.

“Our mandate is not only national but continental. By aligning Nigeria’s priorities with UNESCO’s vision, we are ensuring that Africa’s youth, women, and communities stand at the center of global development discourse.”

Prince Abdulsalami Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan, President, UNESCO REF

That continental perspective is reflected in UNESCO REF’s programmes, among them The VOICE Initiative, whose roadmap extends from Nigeria to all 54 African nations by 2030, and the Young Women in Agriculture programme, mobilising 12 million young women across the six geopolitical zones.

NATCOM-UNESCO’s strategic vision

La vision stratégique de la NATCOM-UNESCO

Dr Olagunju welcomed the initiative and emphasised the importance of building synergies for the effective delivery of UNESCO-mandated programmes. He observed that an enhanced institutional mandate would strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals and would support UNESCO’s broader vision of peace, human dignity and sustainable development.

Commitment to joint action

Engagement en faveur d’une action conjointe

The visit concluded with three shared commitments:

• To establish joint action frameworks for programme implementation.
• To widen stakeholder participation across government, civil society and youth groups.
• To make Nigeria’s engagement with UNESCO a benchmark for impactful, inclusive and globally relevant development.

With fewer than five years remaining before the 2030 deadline, such coordination between national institutions and civil society is no longer optional. It is the condition on which the attainment of the Goals in Nigeria will depend.

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Applications are now being received. Read the official notice at the UNESCO REF Media Centre and apply through effs.unesco-ref.org.

ABUJA, Nigeria, July 2026. The Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF) and UNICAF have formalised a landmark strategic partnership under the UNESCO REF Educational Financial Facility Scheme (EFFS). Implemented under Category 2.15B2 of the UNESCO REF Strategic Intervention Programmes for Accelerated Learning and Productive Human Asset (SIP-ALPHA), the partnership offers qualifying Nigerians a blanket scholarship covering 86 per cent of tuition for internationally accredited undergraduate, Master’s and doctoral programmes. Students contribute the remaining 14 per cent.

The partnership opens a new door for Nigerians who aspire to internationally recognised qualifications but have been held back by cost. It brings together UNICAF’s established model of online higher education, delivered in partnership with accredited universities, and the governance framework of the EFFS, which UNESCO REF has built to make education financing structured, transparent and accountable. The result is a pathway to a globally recognised degree that can be pursued from Nigeria, alongside work and family responsibilities.

The scholarship at a glance

La bourse en bref

Why it matters

Les enjeux

Demand for international education among young Nigerians has never been greater. UNESCO data show that the number of Nigerian students abroad nearly doubled between 2020 and 2023, from 71,753 to about 142,000, across 21 major study destinations. For the great majority of families, however, the cost of tuition and relocation places such study out of reach.

The national stakes are considerable. Nigeria scored 0.36 on the World Bank’s Human Capital Index in 2020, meaning that a child born in Nigeria could expect to attain only about a third of their full productive potential by the age of 18. Structured, affordable access to higher education is among the most direct means of closing that gap.

Complementing the national effort

En complément de l’effort national

The partnership is designed to complement, and not to duplicate, the Federal Government’s Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), established under the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2024. By April 2026, NELFUND had disbursed N242.4 billion to more than 1.38 million students across 288 Nigerian tertiary institutions. The EFFS extends that national commitment to accredited international programmes, widening the choices available to Nigerian learners without drawing on public funds.

Voices of the partnership

Les voix du partenariat

“UNICAF will extend structured scholarship support to qualifying Nigerian students”

Dr Nicos Nicolaou, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, UNICAF

Prince Abdulsalami Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan, President of UNESCO REF, described the Educational Financial Facility Scheme as a “structured instrument designed to make globally recognised higher education more accessible to Nigerians,” established to offer a sustainable means of financing internationally accredited study in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.

A beneficiary’s story

Le témoignage d’une bénéficiaire

The partnership is already changing lives. Grace Adetola, a registered nurse in Abuja, had for years been unable to afford postgraduate study. Through the scheme she is now pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Health Management. The scholarship, she said, “has removed that structural barrier,” and she described the 86 per cent tuition support as life-changing.

Accountability and results

Redevabilité et résultats

The partnership will be judged by its outcomes. Success will be measured against four indicators: enrolment, programme completion, accreditation outcomes and graduate employability. UNESCO REF will report progress through the EFFS governance framework, so that students, families and partners can see what the scheme has achieved.

How to apply

Comment postuler

1. Read the official notice at the UNESCO REF Media Centre.
2. Visit effs.unesco-ref.org for programme information and eligibility.
3. Apply for admission through the UNESCO REF EFFS pathway; only students admitted through this pathway qualify for the 86 per cent scholarship.
4. Direct enquiries to The Lichfield, the official administrative contact point for the EFFS.

Read more at the Media Centre

En savoir plus au Centre des médias

The UNESCO REF Media Centre carries the official partnership notice and further coverage of the Educational Financial Facility Scheme. Visitors are warmly invited to read it in full:

• Official notice. UNICAF Partners UNESCO REF on the Educational Financial Facility Scheme.
• Special Report. Opening Borders: How UNESCO REF EFFS Plans to Send Nigerians to 250+ Universities Abroad.
• Podcast. The 86% Question: Inside the UNESCO REF and UNICAF Educational Financial Facility Scheme, on The UNESCO REF Podcast at the Media Centre.

Visit the UNESCO REF Media Centre to read the official notice and the latest updates on the scheme: unesco-ref.org/media/#effs-press-release.

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Follow this story and the latest updates on the Young Women in Agriculture programme at the UNESCO REF Media Centre.

BAUCHI, Nigeria, 16 April 2024. Dr Mrs Elizabeth Egbetokun, National Advocate of the UNESCO REF Young Women in Agriculture (YWA) programme and National President of the Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA), has paid a working visit to the Governor of Bauchi State, His Excellency Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed. The visit formalised and accelerated collaboration between UNESCO REF, POWA and the Bauchi State Government on the strategic mobilisation, capacity building and economic empowerment of young women in agriculture across the State.

The engagement reflects a shared commitment to gender equality, sustainable agriculture and inclusive rural development, and a common conviction that the women who sustain Nigeria’s farms must be equipped to lead them. It aligns the work of the State Government with national priorities on food security and with the global development frameworks to which Nigeria is committed.

A homecoming with a mandate

Un retour aux sources porteur d’un mandat

The visit carried particular meaning. Bauchi is Dr Mrs Egbetokun’s home State, and her return to launch the programme there signalled a personal as well as an institutional commitment to the women of the North East. It also marked an important step in extending the programme into Northern Nigeria, where the participation of women in formal agricultural programmes faces distinct social and practical barriers, and where the potential gains are correspondingly great.

The Governor’s commitment

L’engagement du Gouverneur

Governor Bala Mohammed commended Dr Mrs Egbetokun for her leadership in empowering women in agriculture, observing that the initiative would improve food security, raise productivity, create jobs and reduce poverty in the State. He praised the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force for supporting the effort and pledged that Bauchi State would make the fullest use of the programme.

In a constructive intervention, the Governor called for operational arrangements that would make it easier for more women from the northern States to take part, taking due account of the region’s social, cultural and religious context. His observation reflects a principle that the programme has since embraced: that inclusion must be designed, not assumed.

Reaching every local government area

Atteindre chaque collectivité locale

Under the programme, one woman from each of Bauchi State’s 20 local government areas was to be selected, trained and sponsored for agricultural training in the United States. Dr Mrs Egbetokun urged the women of the State to take full advantage of the opportunity.

The approach is deliberate. By drawing participants from every local government area rather than from the State capital alone, the programme ensures that its benefits reach rural communities across Bauchi, where agriculture is the mainstay of household livelihoods.

Why it matters

Les enjeux

Women are central to Nigeria’s food systems, yet they farm at a structural disadvantage. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reports a 24 per cent gender gap in productivity between women and men farmers on farms of equal size, and finds that women in agricultural wage employment earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. Closing these gaps, FAO estimates, would raise global GDP by nearly US$1 trillion and reduce the number of food-insecure people by 45 million.

For a predominantly agrarian State such as Bauchi, the empowerment of women farmers is therefore a direct investment in food security, household welfare and rural prosperity.

Part of a national movement

Au cœur d’un mouvement national

The Bauchi engagement forms part of a wider national effort led by UNESCO REF and POWA. It followed the collaboration agreed with the Ogun State Government in September 2023, and helped lay the groundwork for the national flag-off of the 12 Million Young Women in Agriculture Mobilisation Campaign in Abuja on 10 March 2025, which set a target of two million young women in each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The programme’s national coordination has since been anchored in the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development as National Secretariat.

Significance

Portée

The engagement demonstrates the model on which the YWA programme depends: national advocacy, matched by State commitment and local delivery. With the support of the Bauchi State Government, the programme gained a foothold in the North East from which it can extend to neighbouring States, carrying opportunity to young women in communities that development programmes have too often passed by.

Read more at the Media Centre

En savoir plus au Centre des médias

Visitors are warmly invited to follow this story, and the wider progress of the Young Women in Agriculture programme across the States, at the UNESCO REF Media Centre:

• This story. National Advocate Dr Mrs Elizabeth Egbetokun Strengthens Strategic Partnership with Bauchi State Government.
• The programme. Young Women in Agriculture.
• The campaign. 12 Million YWA Mobilisation Campaign Report.

Visit the UNESCO REF Media Centre for this story and the latest updates on Young Women in Agriculture: unesco-ref.org/media/#bauchi-ywa.

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