The Federal Ministry of Education has unveiled LUMINAH 2030, an initiative aimed at transforming the lives of over one million underserved girls and women across Nigeria by the year 2030.
The announcement was made on the Ministry’s official X page.
The ministry described LUMINAH 2030 as a holistic empowerment campaign that will focus on education access, vocational skills, and leadership training for girls and women who are often left behind in national development.
The Federal Ministry of Education has launched LUMINAH 2030, an ambitious drive to transform the lives of over 1 million underserved girls & women by 2030. The initiative empowers through education, vocational skills & leadership training,” the ministry stated.
According to the Ministry, the initiative is already taking off in 12 pilot states, carefully selected based on data to ensure the highest possible impact.
Bridging the education gap for girls
The Ministry noted that 60% of Nigeria’s estimated 15 million out-of-school children are girls, a statistic that underpins the urgency of the LUMINAH 2030 programme.
The initiative is designed to directly address this gap by linking educational access to broader economic empowerment strategies.
It explained that LUMINAH 2030 aims to ensure no girl is left behind, with interventions tailored to combat the entrenched barriers of exclusion, poverty, and gender-based marginalisation.
LUMINAH 2030 is supported by a coalition of federal and state governments, private sector stakeholders, and development partners, reflecting a coordinated national effort to uplift women and girls through targeted investments in education and skills training.
Describing the initiative, the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad, stated that LUMINAH 2030 is a national movement to dismantle exclusion, poverty, and silence.
What you should know
The federal government first introduced this initiative under the name Lumina Programme in April 2025, targeting Nigeria’s estimated 10 million out-of-school children.
- The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, announced that it would begin with foundational literacy and numeracy education in underserved regions, particularly for girls, with online registration already open and full implementation due to start soon
- In March, the Federal Ministry of Education formally inaugurated LUMINAH 2030 as part of the broader Quality Education and Learning Outcomes initiative
LUMINAH 2030 is Nigeria’s latest high-level response to gender disparities in education. With millions of girls currently out of school, the programme signals a renewed federal commitment to inclusive education and long-term social empowerment.
