By Ibrahim Muhammad Kano The British Government has congratulated Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, following Kano’...
By Ibrahim Muhammad Kano
The British Government has congratulated Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, following Kano’s emergence as the highest-ranked subnational government in West Africa for education spending.
The commendation was made by Mr. Ian Attfield, Senior Education Adviser at the British High Commission to Nigeria, in a post on his official X account. He described the recognition as a significant milestone for Kano and proof of the state’s commitment to prioritizing education as a driver of sustainable development.
The recognition followed the release of the West Africa Education Spending Index, WAESI, a policy initiative by the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris Africa Foundation, Fondation Lucien Paye. The index promotes evidence-based governance in education financing across the 15 ECOWAS member states and their 209 first-level subnational governments.
In a formal notification to Governor Yusuf, the organizers announced that Kano State ranked first among all subnational governments in West Africa. The state was conferred with the prestigious title of “Grand Laureate of Education Financing” as the 2026 Best Performing Subnational Government in West Africa.
According to the letter signed by Professor Julie Peghini, Director of the University of Paris 8 and Director of the Fondation Lucien Paye, the assessment aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 on Quality Education, SDG 17 on Partnerships for the Goals, and the African Union Agenda 2063. All three frameworks emphasize increased investment in quality education and stronger partnerships to improve learning outcomes.
The organizers stated that Kano’s top ranking reflects the state’s commitment to strengthening education financing and implementing policies that support equitable access to quality education. They added that the award recognizes governments that demonstrate exceptional leadership in allocating resources to the education sector.
To ensure transparency, the assessment report and underlying datasets have been made publicly available through the official French Government open data repository.
Governor Yusuf’s administration has placed education at the center of its development agenda, declaring a state of emergency in the sector shortly after assuming office.
Since then, the government has made major investments including the rehabilitation and construction of schools, recruitment of teachers, provision of learning materials, expansion of scholarship programmes, and increased budgetary allocations aimed at improving access to quality education across Kano State.
The WAESI recognition and the congratulatory message from the British Government further underscore Kano State’s growing reputation as a regional leader in education financing and reform.
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