The federal government has partnered the Nigerian Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) to strengthen advancement offices in federal tertiary institutions, as part of efforts to diversify university funding sources and improve the quality of education.
The partnership was announced at the launch of the National University Advancement Programme (NUAP) held in Lagos, where the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the initiative is designed to equip federal and state universities with the capacity, expertise, and global best practices required to raise funds beyond government subventions.
Alausa said public funding alone can no longer meet the growing needs of tertiary education, noting that universities must adopt sustainable approaches to mobilising additional resources.
According to him, the programme focuses on building effective advancement offices within universities, enabling them to engage alumni, attract philanthropic support, and sustainably manage endowment funds.
“As government funding for tertiary education continues to decline globally, universities must begin to explore additional ways of mobilising resources,” the minister said. “This programme is about guiding institutions on how to build capacity, develop technical expertise, and adopt global standards in fundraising and endowment management.”
He explained that NUAP will provide universities with practical toolkits and technical assistance, including guidance on setting up boards of trustees, investment teams, governance frameworks, and reporting structures to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of endowment funds.
The minister added that many universities already have advancement offices but are yet to optimise their potential, stressing that the current initiative is intended to help institutions quickly adopt effective fundraising models that complement budgetary allocations from government, TETFund, and other funding sources.
Earlier, the Chairman of NHEF, Mr. Wale Adeosun, said sustainable university financing is critical to restoring Nigerian universities to a globally competitive position.
According to Adeosun, the programme is aimed at strengthening institutional advancement structures within universities, enabling them to mobilise private sector support, alumni contributions, and philanthropic funding to complement government resources.
He explained that NHEF was established over 20 years ago following a partnership among leading global foundations, including the MacArthur, Rockefeller, Ford and Packard foundations, to support higher education development in Africa, with Nigeria as a major focus.
“At inception, the goal of NHEF was to help Nigerian universities become self sustaining,” Adeosun said, adding that the MacArthur Foundation initially selected four Nigerian universities to participate in the initiative before additional institutions, including the University of Nigeria and the University of Lagos, were incorporated.
He said NHEF now works with a growing network of universities across the country, focusing on strengthening governance, faculty development, student success, and institutional advancement.
Adeosun noted that the foundation’s work is structured around three core pillars, which include improving university administration and governance, strengthening faculty capacity through exchange programmes with universities in the United States, and supporting students through leadership and scholarship initiatives.
He also emphasised the importance of partnerships, thanking the federal ministry of education, university vice chancellors, governing councils, and international partners for their continued support of the foundation’s mission.
Adeosun expressed optimism that the National University Advancement Programme would help universities develop long term fundraising strategies, build strong alumni relations, and attract sustainable funding for teaching, research, and infrastructure development.
Also speaking at the event, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Mr. Samaila Zubairu, said the organisation is ready to support endowment fundraising and the development of data centres in universities.
Zubairu said the proposed data centres are intended to support teaching, research, and innovation, while preparing students and institutions for the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence and the digital economy.
“The idea is not just fundraising for its own sake, but fundraising that delivers infrastructure critical to the future of education,” he said.
He added that AFC is aligning with the federal government’s drive to advance 10 Nigerian universities by supporting comprehensive fundraising campaigns focused on alumni contributions and long term endowment structures.
According to Zubairu, “the initiative will begin with two pilot universities, with a focus on mobilising financial resources and engaging alumni to contribute directly to the development of their respective institutions.
“We want to create programmes that allow us to actively engage alumni and encourage them to give back through endowments targeted at their universities.”
