The Scottish Government is to spend millions of pounds supporting the development of inclusive education in sub-Saharan Africa, John Swinney has announced.

The support is due to be delivered across two projects, both of which are operating in Malawi, Zambia and Rwanda, and total £12.5m over the next five years.

The First Minister met the High Commissioners of Malawi and Zambia, and the Deputy High Commissioner of Rwanda during a series of engagements in London yesterday (15 October), where he re-affirmed the Scottish Government’s commitment to collaborative international development with its partner countries.

The newly-announced support is in addition to Scotland’s contribution of £356,000 to the World Bank’s Inclusive Education Policy Academy, as well as a separate £150,000 fund supporting scholarships for women in Zambia as part of a partnership with Heriot-Watt University.

The first of the two new programmes, Realising Inclusive and Safer Education (RISE), commenced in July 2024 and is being managed by Link Education International.

The project is due to run until March 2029 and “aims to remove barriers to quality education for out-of-school children with disabilities and additional support needs.” It will see £1.5m per year shared between Link Community Development (Malawi), School to School International (Zambia), and Chance for Childhood (Rwanda).

A second programme – this one focused on scholarships for women and girls in the same three countries – is being delivered by Oxfam and “is worth up to £1m a year.”

Also running until March 2029, it has been established to “support girls and women to complete secondary education” as well as supporting them in the move either to tertiary education or into technical and vocational education and training (TVET). The partner organisations for this programme as the Young Women’s Christian Association in Rwanda and Zambia, and Concerned Youth Organisation in Malawi.

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H. E. Macenje Mazoka, Zambia High Commissioner to the United Kingdom praised the investment and said that the partnership between the two countries will help to improve the lives of young people in her country:

"The Scottish Government's ongoing commitment to inclusive education in Zambia is a testament to the strong bonds between our nations. Their support for programs that enhance access to quality education for all, especially for marginalized groups, aligns perfectly with Zambia's vision for equitable development.

We look forward to strengthening the positive impact this partnership will continue to have on our education system and the lives of Zambian students, particularly those who are the most vulnerable."

First Minister John Swinney said supporting projects like these is a key part of Scotland’s international development goals: “This funding aims to help overcome some of the persistent barriers faced by women, girls and children with disabilities, to ensure they have equal access to education, and are fully included in the social and economic life of their communities.

“The Scottish Government has prioritised this work as part of our commitment to international development and good global citizenship, working in partnership with our counterparts in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia to meet the aims of the UN Sustainable Development goals.

“So I am very pleased to confirm this additional funding in support of those efforts. I am also grateful for the work of Oxfam, Link Education International and local partners in all three countries who are delivering these programmes to help some of the world’s most marginalised learners, who have the same right to a quality education as anyone else.”