PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IN FINANCING ADULT EDUCATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Adult education is concerned with developing the adult population of a country to become useful to themselves and their societies. It is aimed at equipping adults with the right knowledge, skills and attitudes required to actualize their full potentials, and then depends on them to, in turn, apply themselves to the all-round development of their societies. In Nigeria, adult education is relevant and strategic in the development of the nation. However, there are many challenges to adult education in Nigeria. One of such challenges is poor funding. The cause of poor funding is government’s inability to single-handedly finance adult education in Nigeria. This, therefore, underscores the need for an alternative means of funding adult education which is very important to national development – a joint effort, sort of, in financing adult education towards sustainable development in Nigeria. To this end, a public-private partnership (PPP) becomes a necessary avenue. This paper examined the nature of public-private partnership in financing adult education and its implications for sustainable development. The authors relied on qualitative data from theoretical sources and recommended ways through which the Nigerian government can build synergy with private individuals and organizations in financing adult education towards sustainable development in Nigeria.