At the Global Gateway High-Level Event on Education, the European Union brought together the global education community to take stock of the Global Gateway education investments so far and mobilize partners and new investments ahead of September’s UN Summit of the Future.
Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen confirmed the European Union’s strong commitment to quality education as showcased by the €3 billion in funding allocated for education actions between 2021 and 2023, representing around 13% of the international partnerships budget. This aligns with the Commissioner’s decision to increase education spending from 7% to at least 10% by 2027.
At the event, the Commissioner signed programs totaling €245 million. These include support to girls’ education in Zambia, support to research and learning mobility in Nigeria, a new Team Europe Initiative on vocational education and training in Africa, and the launch of an Africa-Europe Youth Academy and 15 new projects supporting academic mobility inside Africa under the flagship initiative.
New support for girls’ education, youth mobility, and skills for jobs
At the event, Commissioner Urpilainen and Zambian Minister of Education, Douglas Syakalima, signed an agreement to support Zambia’s National Development Plan and Free Education Initiative, supported by a €110 million EU grant. The funds will enhance the quality of primary and secondary education, reduce girls’ dropout rates, increase accessibility for learners with disabilities, and boost early childhood education and development in underserved provinces.
Together with Didi Esther Walson-Jack, Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Education, the Commissioner also signed an €18 million cooperation agreement to enhance research and development capacities in the pharmaceutical sector. This action is part of the Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines, and Health Technologies in Africa (MAV+). It will support the wider enabling environment around Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector, notably by promoting skills development, research and development (for example research in artificial intelligence and nanotechnology), digitalization, and a centralized system for forecasting, procurement, and distribution of quality medical products.
Under the flagship Youth Mobility for Africa, 15 Intra-Africa Mobility Scheme projects funded by the EU with €27 million will provide learning mobility opportunities for students, trainees, and staff across the continent to boost high-level green and digital skills. As a key initiative of the Youth Action Plan in EU external relations, the Africa-Europe Youth Academy will provide opportunities for formal and informal learning and exchanges to young people looking to improve their leadership skills and create networks between Africa and Europe. The first set of actions launched today is supported with €15 million from the EU.
The regional Team Europe Initiative Opportunity-driven Skills and Vocational Education and Training in Africa, launched today, aims to enhance the employability of women and men in Sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative will steer vocational training initiatives towards concrete employment opportunities created by Global Gateway investments. The initiative will thus support a paradigm shift where the training offer will be tailored to concretely identified job opportunities. The identification of opportunities for women will be compulsory. The Team Europe Initiative is co-financed with €75 million from the EU budget for the period 2024-2028.
