The Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Akintunde Sawyerr, has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to strengthening strategic partnerships aimed at expanding access to education and skills development across Nigeria.
Sawyerr made this known during a courtesy visit to the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Khalil Halilu, at the agency’s headquarters in Idu, Abuja, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
The visit underscores NELFUND’s drive to collaborate with key national institutions to promote economic empowerment, particularly among Nigerian youths. The NELFUND boss was accompanied by a delegation of staff and was received by the NASENI leadership.
As part of the engagement, the delegation toured NASENI’s facilities, gaining firsthand insight into the agency’s ongoing innovations, technological advancements, and capacity-building initiatives geared towards accelerating Nigeria’s industrialisation and self-reliance.
Discussions during the meeting focused on a proposed partnership between both institutions, with particular emphasis on human capital development. The collaboration is expected to facilitate the design and implementation of targeted training programmes for beneficiaries in both the formal and informal sectors.
The initiative aims to equip young Nigerians with practical, industry-relevant skills that will boost employability, entrepreneurship, and productivity.
Both parties noted that the partnership would combine NASENI’s technical expertise and infrastructure with NELFUND’s mandate to provide financial support for education and skills acquisition, thereby creating a sustainable pipeline of skilled manpower aligned with national development priorities.
The meeting ended with a shared commitment to further engagements to formalise the collaboration framework, as both institutions expressed optimism about the potential impact on youth development and Nigeria’s broader socio-economic growth.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.