Nigeria and its international partners have spearheaded a comprehensive diplomatic push at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
They addressed crucial challenges across education financing, counter-terrorism, migration cooperation, international security, development capital, and global governance reform.
Led by Vice President Kashim Shettima alongside key cabinet ministers, the Nigerian delegation emphasised that sustainable development across Africa requires a combination of increased domestic resource mobilisation, fairer access to global capital, and strong multilateral partnerships.
At the centre of these engagements was a major joint effort by Nigeria and Italy to mobilise $5 billion for global education through the Global Partnership for Education.
Co-hosting the Multiply Possibility high-level event, both nations highlighted the initiative as a vital compact for human capital.
Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to viewing education as a strategic economic investment, while Minister of Defence Gen. Christopher Musa called for sustained support for terrorism victims.
Simultaneously, Nigeria advanced migration negotiations with the European Union, pledged to restore its leadership in global peacekeeping, and urged global financial institutions to lower borrowing costs for developing nations.
Concurrently, the Group of Four nations strongly backed Africa’s demand for permanent representation on a reformed UN Security Council.
Nigeria, Italy mobilising $5b for human capital
Nigeria and Italy stepped up efforts to mobilise $5 billion for global education during the Multiply Possibility high-level event held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
In a video message to the gathering, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared that the vision of the Global Partnership for Education aligns with his administration’s drive to expand access to quality education, improve learning outcomes, and build teacher capacity across Nigeria.
Shettima told world leaders that the federal government regards education as a strategic investment in the country’s economic future rather than standard public expenditure.
He outlined several domestic financing initiatives launched since 2023, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, and revealed that the government is channelling recovered Economic and Financial Crimes Commission assets, unclaimed dividends, and dormant funds into education.
Shettima noted that international cooperation, such as the joint HOPE-EDU programme with the World Bank and GPE, will complement these domestic resources to reach 29 million children and 500,000 teachers nationwide.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni commended Nigeria’s leadership and announced a pound 50 million pledge from Italy toward GPE programmes.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, GPE Board Chairman Jakaya Kikwete, and education activist Malala Yousafzai also addressed the event, urging international financial institutions and global donors to create fiscal space for developing countries, improve teacher training, and prioritise funding for girls’ education.
Musa seeks long-term support
At the Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism, Gen. Musa urged the international community to transition from short-term emergency aid to sustained, long-term rehabilitation and reintegration for survivors.
Highlighting that Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for roughly 60 per cent of global terrorism deaths in 2025, Musa stressed that behind the statistics lie displaced families, fractured communities, and destroyed livelihoods requiring coordinated global action.
The Defence Minister detailed Nigeria’s ongoing accountability measures, disclosing that the country secured 865 terrorism-related convictions in 2026 while continuing to prioritise captive liberation, medical care, psychosocial rehabilitation, and community reintegration.
Drawing from domestic experience, Musa proposed a three-point framework for international cooperation focusing on enhanced peer learning, inclusive partnerships involving victims’ associations, and expanded technical support from the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism.
During an operational visit to the Defence Section of the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN, Gen. Musa reaffirmed President Tinubu’s commitment to expanding Nigeria’s active role in international peace and security efforts.
Meeting with Defence Attaché Brig.-Gen. E. A Koleosho, Musa emphasised that revitalising Nigeria’s participation in global peacekeeping operations remains central to promoting regional and international stability.
Gen. Musa commended the military personnel attached to the mission for their professionalism and steadfast dedication to upholding the ideals of both the United Nations and the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Oyedele seeks reform of capital access
At the UN Dialogue on Solutions to Climate Finance, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, called for urgent structural reforms in global financial markets to provide African nations with cheaper, long-term development capital.
Oyedele criticised the high financing costs and currency risks facing African countries, characterising these extra financial burdens as a prejudice premium and stereotype tax that penalise developing economies.
The Finance Minister argued that climate finance must address Africa’s severe energy access gap rather than focusing exclusively on emissions reduction.
He advocated for increased investment in natural gas and other transition energy sources to expand reliable electricity across the continent, noting that a secure African energy sector contributes to global energy stability.
Oyedele maintained that international financing mechanisms must become simpler, more affordable, and better tailored to the economic realities of developing nations.
EU-Nigeria discuss migration, security
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, met with EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, to discuss advancing the long-pending EU-Nigeria Re-Admission Agreement.
First initiated in 2016, the agreement was heavily evaluated during recent bilateral dialogues, with both parties seeking to establish a structured and comprehensive migration framework.
During the meeting, Commissioner Brunner noted that concluding the re-admission agreement would open doors for enhanced legal mobility and talent partnerships, addressing labour shortages in Europe while benefiting Nigerian professionals.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu emphasised that any final agreement must include robust reintegration support for returnees, infrastructure development assistance, and expanded legal pathways for young Nigerians.
Both sides expressed intention to finalise these terms during a planned ministerial visit to Abuja in November 2026.