Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, CON, has announced new progress in the State’s education and development partnership during a high-level meeting in Kuwait City. He met with Dr. Waleed Al-Bahar, Director General of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, to review achievements under the Reaching Out-of-School Children Programme and deepen cooperation in other priority sectors.
The Governor described the meeting as an important moment for Kaduna State. He said the ROOSC programme, backed by the Kuwait Fund, Islamic Development Bank, Global Partnership for Education, Education Above All, and Save the Children International, represents a combined investment of 62.8 million dollars. According to him, this support is helping Kaduna State tackle the challenge of out-of-school children and transform learning outcomes.
Senator Sani said, “I conveyed the heartfelt appreciation of the Government and people of Kaduna State for the Fund’s support to our dear State.” He added that the project targets more than 100,000 out-of-school children while directly benefiting over 1.2 million learners across all 23 LGAs. He stated that the programme is restoring hope, expanding opportunity, and building a stronger future for young people.
He presented key milestones to the Fund’s leadership, noting that 79,275 out-of-school children have been identified and mapped in 14 LGAs. He revealed that 13,756 learners have enrolled, surpassing the Year One target of 10,000. He further highlighted that 1,300 teachers have been trained while over 35,000 learning kits have been distributed. Civil works are currently ongoing to rehabilitate 170 schools and construct 102 new ones.
The Governor stressed his administration’s commitment to speeding up delivery. He said he appealed for continued backing in fast-tracking the next phase of disbursements, explaining that timely action will give children faster access to safe and modern learning environments.
Beyond education, Senator Sani presented Kaduna State’s new priorities for partnership. These include upgrading and solarising between 255 and 500 Primary Healthcare Centres, widening rural infrastructure such as roads, electrification, water supply, and sanitation, and supporting agricultural modernisation through mechanisation, irrigation, climate-resilient inputs, processing centres, and agribusiness opportunities for youth and women.
The Director General of the Kuwait Fund reaffirmed Kaduna’s unique place as the first Nigerian state to receive assistance from the organisation. He praised the administration for transparency, reform-oriented leadership, and a vision for inclusive growth. Senior KFAED officials including Thamer Alfailakawi, Khaled Salah Al-Marzouq, and Rawya Alawadhi also attended the meeting.
Senator Sani said both sides concluded with a shared commitment to accelerate all ongoing projects and expand cooperation in health, agriculture, and infrastructure. He noted that this renewed understanding aims to improve the lives of millions of Kaduna residents by advancing development goals across multiple sectors.
