Prime Minister Boris Johnson is launching a new £20 million business partnership as the UK leads global efforts to improve girls’ access to education in developing countries.

In the UK’s first education partnership of its kind, the UK government is joining forces with the private sector to boost girls’ access to education in developing countries. According to a statement by the British High Commission in Nigeria, the partners include Accenture, BP, Cognizant, Coursera, Microsoft, Pearson, PwC, Standard Chartered, Unilever, United Bank for Africa and Vodafone.

The UK government will partner UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited (GenU) to help deliver the programme, with key partners funding GenU being Accenture, Microsoft, Standard Chartered, Unilever, and United Bank of Africa.

On March 7, a reception was held at No. 10 Downing Street to mark the announcement ahead of March 8, 2022, International Women’s Day.

“The United Kingdom has long been a proud and mighty champion of this fundamental cause, and today we take one leap further through our first global partnership of its kind – opening the opportunity for one million girls across the developing world to have access to high-quality skills training,” said UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Businesses, charities, schools and colleges will shortly be able to bid for funds from the programme as the UK government explained that the partnership “wants to support projects that will improve access to education for girls, with a focus on providing the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills.”

Initially, the statement disclosed that bids would be encouraged for projects in Nigeria and Bangladesh, two countries where significant barriers to girls’ education remain.

During the UK’s G7 Presidency last year, it secured an agreement to help get an additional 40 million girls into school by 2026 and help 20 million girls learn to read by the age of 10 by 2026. In 2021, the UK hosted a successful Global Education Summit, which raised $4 billion in pledges from world leaders to support schools through the Global Partnership for Education.

Between 2015 and 2020, the UK supported at least 15.6 million children in developing countries to gain a decent education, including 8.1 million girls.

Speaking on the programme, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss stressed that supporting women and girls “is at the heart” of UK foreign policy.

“We want women to have agency over their own lives and to be free to succeed. Investing in girls’ education is vital for a more sustainable, peaceful and prosperous future,” noted Truss. “That’s why we are partnering with the private sector to help girls in developing countries access education and job opportunities.”

Helen Grant, the PM’s special envoy for girls’ education, explained that every girl everywhere “deserves to have” an education.

Similarly, Kevin Frey, Chief Executive Officer of Generation Unlimited, said the Girls’ Education Skills Partnership exemplified the commitment of the UK government and the private sector in addressing the critical gap in skilling girls for 21st Century opportunities.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is launching a new £20 million business partnership as the UK leads global efforts to improve girls’ access to education in developing countries.

In the UK’s first education partnership of its kind, the UK government is joining forces with the private sector to boost girls’ access to education in developing countries. According to a statement by the British High Commission in Nigeria, the partners include Accenture, BP, Cognizant, Coursera, Microsoft, Pearson, PwC, Standard Chartered, Unilever, United Bank for Africa and Vodafone.

The UK government will partner UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited (GenU) to help deliver the programme, with key partners funding GenU being Accenture, Microsoft, Standard Chartered, Unilever, and United Bank of Africa.

On March 7, a reception was held at No. 10 Downing Street to mark the announcement ahead of March 8, 2022, International Women’s Day.

“The United Kingdom has long been a proud and mighty champion of this fundamental cause, and today we take one leap further through our first global partnership of its kind – opening the opportunity for one million girls across the developing world to have access to high-quality skills training,” said UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Businesses, charities, schools and colleges will shortly be able to bid for funds from the programme as the UK government explained that the partnership “wants to support projects that will improve access to education for girls, with a focus on providing the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills.”

Initially, the statement disclosed that bids would be encouraged for projects in Nigeria and Bangladesh, two countries where significant barriers to girls’ education remain.

During the UK’s G7 Presidency last year, it secured an agreement to help get an additional 40 million girls into school by 2026 and help 20 million girls learn to read by the age of 10 by 2026. In 2021, the UK hosted a successful Global Education Summit, which raised $4 billion in pledges from world leaders to support schools through the Global Partnership for Education.

Between 2015 and 2020, the UK supported at least 15.6 million children in developing countries to gain a decent education, including 8.1 million girls.

Speaking on the programme, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss stressed that supporting women and girls “is at the heart” of UK foreign policy.

“We want women to have agency over their own lives and to be free to succeed. Investing in girls’ education is vital for a more sustainable, peaceful and prosperous future,” noted Truss. “That’s why we are partnering with the private sector to help girls in developing countries access education and job opportunities.”

Helen Grant, the PM’s special envoy for girls’ education, explained that every girl everywhere “deserves to have” an education.

Similarly, Kevin Frey, Chief Executive Officer of Generation Unlimited, said the Girls’ Education Skills Partnership exemplified the commitment of the UK government and the private sector in addressing the critical gap in skilling girls for 21st Century opportunities.