July 18, 2025
As part of efforts to reduce its sole financial burden and make the student loan schemes more sustainable, the Nigerian government is considering adopting Malaysia’s model of private sector participation.
The Malaysia’s National Higher Education Fund Corporation, PTPTN, established in 1997, supports students through loans and savings-matching programmes in partnership with private institutions
NELFUND adoption of the is geared towards diversifying funding sources through private partners engagement to inject additional resources and expertise into the student loan scheme.
This was disclosed by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, at a media engagement in Abuja.
He revealed that the government was looking at sharing financial responsibility with private sector partners to build a stronger and more efficient student loan system.
Sawyerr, stated that “NELFUND is an organisation that can only be sustained if we have private participation. The government cannot continue to support this 100 per cent financially,”
“As with the student loan scheme in Malaysia, we will eventually need the private sector to wade in, make donations, and commit resources. No one in their right mind will invest in a project they believe is tainted by fraud or led by dishonest leadership.”
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The NELFUND boss, challenged the media to monitor the Fund’s operations and report any verified infractions. He however, cautioned against spreading unsubstantiated allegations, as such claims could jeopardise the scheme.
While stating that Fund publishes daily loan status updates on its official social media dashboard Sawyerr, noted that NELFUND is committed to transparency and accountability.
The Malaysian student loan model involving private sector partnerships which also exist in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan, have been praised for integrating public-private collaboration to expand access to tertiary education.
