Four African universities have joined forces to establish a consortium aimed at expanding access to education for nomadic pastoralists and other marginalised communities across the continent.

The initiative seeks to improve school enrolment, retention and completion rates among children in underserved communities through inclusive and flexible learning opportunities.

The partnership brings together Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria (MAAUN), Kano; the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Kenya; Capital University, Somalia; and the University of Namibia.

The announcement was made on Tuesday at a three-day international conference in Kano themed, “Strengthening Inclusive and Flexible Education Pathways for Nomadic Pastoralists and Marginalised Learners in Africa.”

In his welcome address, MAAUN President, Prof. Mohammad Israr, described education as a fundamental human right and a vital instrument for societal transformation.

He, however, noted that nomadic pastoralists and marginalised communities across Africa continued to face significant barriers to accessing quality education.

“Our responsibility as universities and educational institutions is to develop inclusive, flexible and innovative educational approaches that ensure no learner is left behind,” he said.

Israr explained that the conference provided a platform for stakeholders to exchange knowledge, share experiences and develop practical strategies for improving educational access among underserved populations.

In her keynote address, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id-Ahmad, said the conference addressed both a national responsibility and a shared continental aspiration to guarantee quality education for every child.

The minister, who was represented by the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Education, Zaria, Prof. Yahaya Bunkure, said the challenges facing nomadic children extended beyond securing admission into schools.

“For many of these children, the challenge is not only gaining admission into schools, but remaining in education, completing the learning cycle and acquiring competencies relevant to their lives,” she said.

She described access to education for nomadic and underserved children as an issue of equity, social justice, human dignity and national development.

According to her, Nigeria and other African countries must develop education systems that recognise the diverse circumstances of their populations and provide learning opportunities for children regardless of their location.

“Our responsibility is to build an education system that responds to the diversity of our people, reaches children wherever they are and provides learning opportunities that enable them to participate productively in society,” she said.

The minister urged universities across Nigeria and other African countries to intensify research into the factors affecting access, participation, retention and learning outcomes among nomadic and underserved children.

Also speaking, the founder of MAAUN Group of Universities, Prof. Adamu Abubakar-Gwarzo, called for the development of curricula tailored to the educational needs and lifestyles of nomadic and pastoralist communities.

He said such an approach would equip children in the communities with relevant knowledge and skills to contribute meaningfully to the development of their countries.

The Vice-Chancellors of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa and Capital University also participated virtually.

Prof. Elias Opngo of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa and Dr Ahmed Ga’al of Capital University, in separate remarks, emphasised the need to guarantee equal educational opportunities for children irrespective of their geographical locations, family occupations or personal circumstances.

They also advocated stronger cooperation among African countries, noting that the challenges associated with nomadic education required collective continental action.

The consortium is expected to strengthen collaboration among the participating institutions in developing inclusive educational approaches that address the barriers preventing nomadic and marginalised children from accessing and completing formal education.

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has raised concerns that 57 Nigerian professionals working in four Nigerian-owned banks in The Gambia risk losing their jobs following a directive by the country’s central bank ordering the replacement of certain foreign employees with Gambian nationals.

NiDCOM Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, described the directive as “deeply worrisome” in a statement shared on her X handle on Tuesday.

The concerns followed a circular issued by the Central Bank of The Gambia on September 16, 2026, directing commercial banks operating in the country to replace non-Gambian employees who are not covered by approved expatriate quotas with qualified Gambian nationals on or before December 31, 2026.

The directive affects all commercial banks operating in the country, including Nigerian-origin financial institutions such as Access Bank, FirstBank, Guaranty Trust Bank and Zenith Bank.

Dabiri-Erewa said the affected Nigerian professionals reportedly possess valid residency and work permits and have made significant contributions to the Gambian banking industry.

While acknowledging The Gambia’s right to promote local employment and strengthen its workforce, she stressed that such policies should be implemented fairly, with due consideration for existing employment arrangements and legitimate work authorisations.

She also called for the protection of African solidarity and regional integration, warning against measures that could undermine cooperation between African countries.

Highlighting the economic contributions of the affected banks, the NiDCOM chairman said the four institutions collectively account for approximately 37.2 per cent of total deposits in The Gambia’s banking industry, valued at 35.3 billion Gambian dalasis.

According to her, they also account for 32.6 per cent of the sector’s loans, worth 7.67 billion dalasis, and 37 per cent of total banking assets, valued at 44.78 billion dalasis.

She added that the banks account for approximately 34.5 per cent of investments in Central Bank bonds and reportedly provide 90 per cent of the funding supporting the operations of the National Water and Electricity Company.

Dabiri-Erewa argued that the directive could undermine efforts to promote African investment, regional economic cooperation and the free movement of people across the continent.

“It is contradictory to encourage African investment, regional economic cooperation and the free movement of people while adopting employment measures that could lead to the indiscriminate displacement of qualified African professionals,” she said.

She consequently called on the Central Bank of The Gambia to immediately reconsider and reverse what she described as a blanket replacement directive.

The NiDCOM chairman also urged the Gambian regulator to engage the Nigerian High Commission in Banjul, the affected financial institutions and other relevant stakeholders to find an equitable resolution.

She further appealed to the Gambian authorities to uphold the principles of ECOWAS integration and the longstanding cordial relationship between Nigeria and The Gambia, urging constructive diplomatic engagement to resolve the dispute.

The Central Bank of The Gambia had earlier said the directive followed an industry-wide review which identified a relatively high number of foreign employees working in commercial banks outside the formally recognised expatriate quota.

The regulator cited the country’s Labour Act 2023 and Guideline 9, which governs expatriate employment in the banking industry, as the legal basis for its decision.

The December 31 deadline gives affected commercial banks until the end of 2026 to comply with the directive.

The United States and Nigeria have intensified cooperation to combat sextortion, romance scams and other transnational cybercrimes, with plans to strengthen intelligence sharing, joint investigations and prosecution of offenders.

The renewed commitment followed a visit to Abuja by the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Michael Gonzales, who held meetings with senior officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Office of the National Security Adviser, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Nigeria Police Force.

In a statement issued by the US Embassy in Abuja on Monday, the embassy said the discussions coincided with Nigeria’s Cybercrime Awareness Week and focused on expanding joint operations against financially motivated sextortion, romance scams and other cyber-enabled crimes.

Gonzales stressed the importance of international cooperation in tackling cybercriminals whose activities frequently cross national borders.

He said recent extraditions demonstrated that offenders could not rely on international boundaries to escape justice when countries combined their investigative, diplomatic and law enforcement capabilities.

The statement disclosed that Nigeria extradited two alleged cybercriminals to the United States in August. The suspects face charges in separate financially motivated sextortion cases involving American minors who died by suicide.

It added that the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Legal Attaché Office at the US Embassy in Abuja had worked with the EFCC on 41 extraditions since 2022, including five completed in 2026.

The figure represents a significant increase compared with the period between 2012 and 2021, when the two countries recorded four arrests and five extraditions.

Gonzales commended the EFCC, the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation for their support in investigations and extradition proceedings involving suspects wanted in the United States.

He also emphasised the need for swift and visible law enforcement action to hold offenders accountable and discourage others from targeting victims.

Highlighting the impact of financially motivated sextortion on young people and their families, the embassy said the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 50,000 reports of the crime in 2025.

According to the statement, this translates to approximately 137 reports daily.

The statement added that the FBI had identified Nigeria and other parts of West Africa, alongside Southeast Asia, as locations where some of the most prevalent sextortion networks had operated.

Through Operation Artemis and related initiatives, the FBI works with Nigerian authorities to identify and disrupt criminal networks targeting Americans.

The two countries are also strengthening efforts to tackle romance scams, which exploit victims’ trust and emotional relationships to defraud them of their savings and retirement funds.

In a related development, the Nigeria Police Force’s National Cybercrime Centre launched a nationwide online safety and cyber-hygiene campaign in March to educate Nigerians about romance scams, sextortion, phishing, identity theft and business email compromise.

The campaign is part of broader efforts to improve public awareness and help individuals recognise and report online threats.

During his meeting with the EFCC, Gonzales described the commission as one of Africa’s most recognised economic crime enforcement agencies, citing its record of high-profile prosecutions, asset recovery and public engagement.

He also identified the EFCC’s partnership with the FBI as an example of effective international law enforcement cooperation.

According to the statement, the partnership has involved intelligence sharing, suspect identification, arrests and complex extradition proceedings, with some investigations requiring years of joint efforts.

However, Gonzales called for the process to become faster, more routine and proactive, with greater emphasis on dismantling entire criminal networks rather than pursuing individual suspects.

The embassy said both countries intended to expand efforts to target the financial infrastructure and facilitators behind cybercrime networks before more victims were harmed.

The next phase of cooperation is expected to prioritise stronger information sharing between US and Nigerian agencies, faster conversion of cyber and financial intelligence into investigations, wider public awareness of sextortion and romance scams, and improvements in Nigeria’s investigative, prosecutorial and cybercrime-reporting capabilities.

US authorities also stressed that the success of the partnership would not be measured solely by the number of programmes funded but by tangible outcomes, including victim protection, disruption of criminal networks, successful investigations and convictions, and stronger Nigerian institutions.

The statement added that the ultimate objective was to build sustainable law enforcement capacity that would protect the interests of both Nigerians and Americans.