Rihanna, Macron champion millions for global education

French President Emmanuel Macron and Barbadian singer Rihanna in Senegal. (AFP)

DAKAR, Senegal: Singer Rihanna and French President Emmanuel Macron headlined a conference in Senegal on Friday raising hundreds of millions of dollars for education in developing countries.
Cheers and whistles rang out as Rihanna was announced in the audience that included several African heads of state and the World Bank president.
“This is a fight we’re never gonna stop fighting until every boy and every girl has access to education,” said the singer, an ambassador for the Global Partnership for Education, which supports work in 65 countries.
Rihanna tweeted “merci” to thank Macron for co-hosting the organization’s conference as part of his two-day trip to Senegal. The host nation was praised for spending seven percent of its GDP on education.
Macron called education “the only single response” to the extremism and fundamentalism threatening West Africa. He promised €200 million ($248 million) for the fund, sharply upping France’s earlier offer, and urged others to pitch in toward the €3.1 billion 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. The Barbados-born Rihanna’s The Clara Lionel Foundation promotes education and arts globally.
Macron, traveling with his wife, Brigitte, also met Friday with Senegalese President Macky Sall and 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.