Rihanna champion education funding at Senegal forum

French President, Rihanna champion education funding at Senegal forum


Singer Rihanna and French President Emmanuel Macron were headlining a meeting in Senegal on Friday raising money for education in poor countries.

Cheers and whistles rang out in the conference centre in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, as Rihanna was announced.

Rihanna tweeted “merci” to thank Macron for co-hosting the Global Partnership for Education conference as part of his two-day trip to Senegal.



Macron called education “the only single response” to the extremism and fundamentalism threatening the West Africa region. He promised $248m for the fund, sharply upping France’s earlier offer, and urged others to pitch in toward the $3.8bn overall goal.

Macron hosted Rihanna at his presidential palace last year after she challenged him on Twitter to contribute to her efforts to fund education in developing countries, notably in conflict and crisis areas.

The singer also urged other Western leaders, including British Prime Minister Theresa May, to contribute at Friday’s conference, and funding promises poured in from multiple countries. The Barbados-born Rihanna’s The Clara Lionel Foundation promotes education and arts globally.

The French president also met Friday with Senegalese President Macky Sall and was inaugurating a school.

Macron, traveling with his wife, Brigitte, later was expected to visit French forces serving with the G5 Sahel, a five-nation regional force launched last year to counter growing extremism in West Africa.