Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has sought stronger collaboration with the African Union to expand access to education for about 800,000 out-of-school children in the state.
Zulum made the appeal on Thursday when he received a delegation led by the African Union Chairperson’s Special Envoy for Children Affected by Armed Conflict, Ambassador Jainaba Jagne, during a courtesy visit to Government House, Maiduguri.
The governor said the number of out-of-school children in Borno had declined from more than two million about seven years ago to approximately 800,000, but stressed the need for additional support to sustain the progress and enrol more vulnerable children.
“Education is the bedrock for any meaningful development, and therefore one area that we need support from the African Union is to increase access for out-of-school children to be enrolled in schools,” Zulum said.
He explained that education remained central to Borno’s transition from humanitarian response to recovery, stabilisation and long-term development, noting that his administration had invested in school reconstruction, teacher recruitment and expanded learning opportunities, particularly for vulnerable children and girls.
“The protection of children is not merely a humanitarian obligation. It is a strategic investment in peace, security and sustainable development,” he stated.
Zulum identified education, psychosocial support, skills development and community acceptance as essential to the recovery and reintegration of children affected by conflict.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to providing safe and inclusive learning environments, including through adherence to the principles of the Safe Schools Declaration.
The governor also called for support to strengthen primary healthcare in communities with limited access to tertiary health facilities, identifying trained personnel, modern equipment and nutritional services as priorities.
“Our children deserve better attention. The issue of malnutrition is also there among our own society,” he said.
He stressed that protecting children from vulnerability also required improving the economic circumstances of their mothers and families, arguing that livelihood support would help households meet children’s nutritional, educational and other essential needs.
“Enhancing the means of livelihood of the mothers will no doubt reduce the vulnerability of the children,” the governor added.
Zulum welcomed the AU’s education-focused interventions and reaffirmed Borno State’s commitment to working with the continental body, the Federal Government, the United Nations and other development partners on education recovery, youth empowerment, child protection and peacebuilding.
In her remarks, Jagne commended the Zulum administration for its efforts to rehabilitate and reintegrate children affected by insurgency, saying the experience could provide lessons for other African countries.
The envoy said her engagements with the First Lady, Associate Professor Falmata Babagana Umara Zulum, and visits to the Bulumkutu Interim Care Centre and Muna Vocational Centre had enabled her to assess the state’s interventions.
“We have to take back to the African Union member states the amazing work that is being done here in Borno State,” Jagne said.
She disclosed that the delegation had brought educational materials for more than 1,000 children, alongside hygiene supplies for adolescent girls undergoing reintegration.
The intervention comes as Borno continues to address the educational and social consequences of years of insurgency, which disrupted schooling and exposed children and families to displacement and other vulnerabilities.
West Trybe reports that stronger cooperation between Borno State and the African Union could support efforts to expand school enrolment, improve child protection and address the health and economic challenges that prevent vulnerable children from accessing education.
