SOKOTO, NIGERIA, August 16, 2026 — In a major step to expand Islamic financial education across West Africa, three premier Indonesia-based institutions have officially signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with three prominent Nigerian universities: Shehu Shagari University of Education (SSUES), Sokoto State University, and Northwest University Sokoto (NWUS). The Indonesian delegation driving this initiative comprises the Islamic Financial Planners Association (IFPA), a pioneering association established in 1999 to promote integrity and excellence in Islamic financial planning; Sakinah Finance, a Bogor-based institution founded in 2018 that provides specialized education, consulting, and research in Islamic family financial management; and Tazkia University, Indonesia’s first higher education institution dedicated to Islamic economics and a globally recognized top Islamic economics campus at the Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA).
The signing ceremony took place in Sokoto, Nigeria, coinciding with 12 Rabiul Awal 1448 Hijriyah. The historic event was part of the broader “Training and Capacity Building on Zakat, Waqf and Other Islamic Social Finance for Zakat and Waqf Organisations in West Africa” program, held from August 14 to 19, 2026, under the IsDB/SOZECOM Capacity Building Projects 2024/2026. Representing the Indonesian side at the signing were Murniati Mukhlisin, Founder of Sakinah Finance and Chairwoman of IFPA, and Ries Wulandari, representing Tazkia University.
At the center of this cooperation is the CSFT/CSFE (Certification for Sakinah Finance Trainer/Educator) program, designed to develop local Nigerian trainers and educators equipped to deliver Islamic financial literacy programs independently and sustainably within their own communities. The collaboration between Sakinah Finance and the Nigerian universities will focus heavily on joint seminars and workshops covering personal and family financial planning, the development of digital financial literacy frameworks, and targeted empowerment programs for underserved communities in Nigeria. Concurrently, IFPA and Tazkia University’s partnership with the local institutions will facilitate international community service programs, joint publications, research collaboration, and comprehensive training spanning Islamic economics, accounting, business management, and business law.
This unified effort marks a significant milestone in extending the reach of the Sakinah Finance Model, an integrated Islamic financial literacy framework that has already created a positive impact for more than 100,000 individuals and families across 23 countries.
“This partnership is a concrete step in bringing the Sakinah Finance Model (red-Personal Finance Management) to more families across West Africa,” said Murniati Mukhlisin. “We believe Islamic financial literacy becomes far more sustainable when the trainers and educators leading it come from within the community itself, because they understand its needs best.”
Taking effect immediately from the date of signing, the MoUs will serve as the foundational framework for a subsequent Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), which will outline the specific technical and operational details for implementation on the ground.
Source:
Sakinah Finance Public Relations
