NewGlobe Partners Nigeria Governors’ Forum on Commissioners of Education Summit

In line with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and NewGlobe in September 2023, both organizations joined forces to host the 2023 Education Summit. The summit aimed to drive positive transformation within the Nigerian education sector by bringing together all 36 state commissioners for education.

Recognizing the vital role of education in nation-building and sustainable development, this summit showcased the commitment of NGF and NewGlobe to foster collaboration among key stakeholders and find practical solutions to the challenges facing the Nigerian education landscape.

Stakeholders gathered at the summit to leverage collective wisdom and collaborative spirit in order to pave the way for innovative solutions. The event emphasized the importance of unity and collaboration as vital components for overcoming the challenges faced by the education sector in Nigeria.

Founded in 1999, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is a non-partisan association comprising all 36 democratically elected State Governors of Nigeria. The NGF’s core mission is to promote good governance, foster unity, enhance mutual understanding and cooperation among states, and establish a productive relationship between states and other levels of government.

NewGlobe, a global leader in learning and education expertise, aims to ensure inclusive, equitable, and transformative education systems. NewGlobe provides support to visionary governments in transforming public education systems, which are crucial for prosperous, equitable, and peaceful societies. Through a unique blend of technology, data-driven training and coaching, scientifically-based learning materials, and technology-equipped support teams, NewGlobe has successfully improved learning outcomes on a large scale. Their holistic approach aligns with the vision of education as a catalyst for accelerated and equitable economic growth.

The summit’s theme, “Promoting Education at the Subnational Level,” highlighted the urgency for collaborative action in addressing Nigeria’s learning crisis. During his address, Dr. Akin-Olusoji Akinyele, Group Managing Director of NewGlobe, emphasized the need for increased efforts to combat the prevalent learning crisis in Nigeria. UNICEF reports indicate that over 70% of Nigerian children struggle with basic reading comprehension by the age of 10, and only 1 in 4 children between the ages of 7 and 14 can effectively read or perform simple arithmetic.

Dr. Akinyele highlighted the hope that exists amidst these challenges, pointing to state-level educational transformation programs such as EdoBEST, EKOEXCEL, KwaraLEARN, and BayelsaPRIME as exemplary blueprints for Nigeria’s progress. These programs, built on digital learning platforms, adaptive instructional content, teacher training and coaching, and comprehensive support systems, have revolutionized public-school education. By leveraging technology and data, they have significantly improved learning outcomes, bringing Nigerian children on par with international standards for an upper middle-income country, a remarkable achievement compared to previous levels.

These transformative solutions were further reinforced by a study led by Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor Michael Kremer in 2019, which recorded them as the largest gains in learning outcomes ever measured globally.

To replicate these success stories nationwide, extensive collaboration among all states is essential. NewGlobe’s partnership with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat aims to engage with other key stakeholders in Nigeria’s education sector. This summit serves as a call to action for parents, citizens, policymakers, and leaders to join hands and scale the proven solutions witnessed in Edo, Lagos, Kwara, and Bayelsa to the rest of Nigeria.