5 priorities for the future of education in Africa

13 May 2022

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©UNICEF/UN0429291/Vincent Tremeau

A new publication, Education in Africa, highlights five top priorities for the remaining eight years of the Education 2030 Agenda and beyond. From demographics, financing, inclusion, quality, to employment, the new publication from the IIEP Africa Office draws on evidence from over 50 education sector analyses conducted over the past two decades. These priorities will help IIEP better support UNESCO Member States, and above all improve the education and training of the continent’s children and youth.

Koffi Segniagbeto, Head of Office, IIEP-UNESCO Dakar, shares how this important publication will shape IIEP support for the coming years.

How did this publication come about?

The idea came about as part of our reflections a few months ago to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Africa Bureau. After two decades of expertise in the service of education in Africa, we wanted to highlight the issues that we consider to be priorities for the continent and on which we are committed to continue working to better serve education systems. It reflects our ambition to build the capacity of education systems around targeted priorities. And, through this, to improve the impact of our support.

How did you establish these priority issues?

Since 2001, we have supported African countries to carry out around 50 education sector analyses. The evidence from these analyses has enabled us to identify the key issues facing us today: equitable and universal access to education, financing, demographic transition, addressing the learning crisis, and youth employment. The future of education in Africa will depend on how the countries of the continent deal with these issues. This is not only the strong belief of our regional office, but also a pillar of the IIEP's strategy, which is to devote at least 50% of its portfolio to the African continent over the next four years.

How are these priorities integrated into IIEP's work?

The five challenges of education in Africa are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. They guide our actions and our strategic directions. Our Dakar Office is very active in the field of gender equality, quality, and employability, especially for young people. We provide technical support to countries at all stages of the education planning cycle: from sector analysis to support for the implementation of education and training policies. Training national officials and generating knowledge around these key issues are also an integral part of our mandate and enrich our technical cooperation activities in the field.

Read the publication here.