The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Aisha Garba, on Tuesday announced the formal migration of the LUMINAH 2030 Initiative from the Federal Ministry of Education to UBEC, describing the move as a necessary step to ensure sustainability and long-term impact.
Speaking at the opening of a five-day programme on LUMINAH 2030, UBEC Migration and Establishment Agenda in Abuja, Garba said the initiative aims to educate and economically empower one million underserved Nigerian girls by 2030.
“LUMINAH illuminates the path to education and empowerment. It integrates schooling, skills training, caregiver support, and community engagement to address the root causes that have kept our girls out of school,” she said.
Represented by UBEC’s Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Razaq Akinyemi, Garba praised the contributions of AGILE, the global support programme that had nurtured LUMINAH since inception—but noted that its international framework had a limited lifespan.
According to her, embedding LUMINAH within UBEC would institutionalise it, align it with Nigeria’s education priorities, and secure a lasting legacy.
“By institutionalising LUMINAH within UBEC, we ensure that it will not fade away but endure. It is fully aligned with UBEC’s seven pillars in the 10-year roadmap (2021–2030) and the national education transformation agenda. Our expectations are clear: to deliver an inclusive, scalable, and data-driven model that reaches the most marginalised girls,” she added.
Garba stressed UBEC’s commitment to partnerships with state governments, civil society, the private sector, and local communities, while emphasising accountability and measurable impact through monitoring and evaluation.
Launched in March 2025 with World Bank support, the initiative seeks to educate and empower over one million underserved girls and women by 2030. It also aims to provide vocational skills and financial support to female caregivers, establish safe and flexible learning centres for girls, promote gender-equitable policies, and build a scalable, data-driven model for national adoption.
The project is currently being implemented in 12 states, including Yobe and Taraba (North East), Kano and Jigawa (North West), Benue and the Federal Capital Territory (North Central), Ebonyi and Anambra (South East), as well as Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom (South South).
Earlier, the National Coordinator of the LUMINAH initiative, Amina Buba, described the transfer as a “strategic step towards sustainability and impact.” She said the transition was designed to strengthen institutional frameworks and ensure the ambitious goals of the programme were met.
“With this migration to UBEC, we are embracing a more specialised and flexible system that will deepen collaboration, enhance resource mobilisation, and ultimately deliver measurable impact,” Buba said.
On its part, the Neem Foundation, an implementing partner, reaffirmed its commitment to trauma-informed education, financial literacy, and market-driven skills.
Represented by its Senior Programme Officer on Education, Minoe Duamwan, the Foundation stressed that “true learning thrives when education is combined with healing, resilience, and empowerment.”
