Adult Education Financing and Resource Mobilisation in Nasarawa State

This study examines adult education financing arrangements and resource mobilisation strategies in Nasarawa State, North Central Nigeria. Adequate and sustainable financing is a foundational requirement for effective adult education programme delivery, yet state-level adult education budgets are consistently inadequate and irregularly disbursed in most Nigerian states. Nasarawa State provides a representative case for examining financing gaps and alternative resource mobilisation approaches in a middle-income northern state. This study uses a descriptive design combining document analysis of Nasarawa State adult education budgets and UBEC subgrant records from 2019 to 2023 with a survey of 60 adult education administrators and local government education authorities in Lafia, Keffi, and Akwanga. Financing adequacy is assessed by comparing budgeted against actual expenditure and against UBEC matching grant requirements. Resource mobilisation diversification is evaluated across government, donor, community, and private sector sources. Findings reveal that Nasarawa State consistently accesses less than 70 percent of its UBEC matching grant entitlement due to inability to meet counterpart funding requirements. Community contributions in cash and kind account for approximately 18 percent of adult education centre operating costs, suggesting significant untapped local resource mobilisation potential. The study concludes that improving counterpart funding compliance and formalising community resource contributions could significantly expand Nasarawa State's adult education financing base. It recommends a dedicated adult education financing mechanism that combines state budget ring-fencing with a community contribution matching scheme.

Keywords: adult education financing, resource mobilisation, Nasarawa State, UBEC grants, budget adequacy.