Additional Context: Although the U.S. had only supported the education sector in Nigeria with about $24.3 million per year, its presence was largely felt in flagship education projects such as the primary literacy program LEARN, and in humanitarian education initiatives. With these programs terminated, multiple schools closed in conflict-affected areas and school safety initiatives were shuttered.

With the Nigerian government responding to these cuts by increasing domestic resource allocation, the education sector is now the third highested funded in the country, coming just behind defense and infrastructure. Brookings notes, however, that this increase of domestic resource allocation is below the UNESCO recommendation of 15-20% of GDP.

Devex Researcher Note: As of May 2026, 6% of Nigerian GDP in 2026 amounts to around $2.57 billion.

Source: Brookings