In West and Central Africa 32 million children are out of school – World Bank
It is a well-known and accepted fact that education is key in developing human resources who in turn develop countries. Countries that believe in their people as integral part of the development process have continued to invest in education. However, despite investments and significant progress, countries in Western and Central Africa have 32 million children out of school, and that is the highest share of out-of-school children in the world, according to a World Bank education strategy for the region.
The strategy which was unveiled at a one-day workshop on education in Accra, Ghana June 27, 2022, organised by the Bank and attended by Ministers of Education and Finance from 22 countries of the regions as well as experts is titled: “From School to Jobs: A Journey for the Young People of Western and Central Africa”.
According to the Bank the strategy is providing a roadmap for investments to improve learning and equip young people with the right skills to access productive jobs.
Stating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education it noted that it resulted in learning losses, dropouts, and fiscal challenges.
The strategy points out that 80 per cent of children in the region are unable to read and understand a simple text, additionally it found gender disparities – with only 76 girls enrolled for every 100 boys in secondary school, as well as skills shortages and mismatches.
Speaking at the workshop, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia highlighting the objectives of the workshop said they are designed to galvanize action around the following: Highlighting key findings of the World Bank Africa Western and Central Education Strategy 2022-2025; Building a coalition on education and a movement for increased focus on quality education to promote human capital in the Africa Western and Central region; and an endorsement of a call for action by Ministers of Finance and Education.
“We will not be able to deliver change without building and sustaining political momentum in the region. In many of the region’s countries, more efforts are needed to rationalize the governance of education systems to achieve greater coherence, cooperation, and coordination,” he said, adding, “Indeed, the relationship between socio-economic development and human capital is critical and Ghana’s policies on education access, quality, equity, relevance, skills acquisition and education financing reflect how Ghana is using education as a lever for human capital development and socio-economic transformation.”
In his remarks, the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta acknowledged the fact that Africa is a young continent and getting younger by the year.
Citing United Nations, he said half of Africa’s population is under the age of 25 and the continent will be home to about 25 per cent of the entire world’s working-age population by 2050.
He said across the continent, the Central and Western African sub-region have the highest growth in population of young people. Between 2000 and 2020, the under-25 population increased by 82 per cent and 68 percent respectively; compared to 18 per cent in Northern Africa.
“Classical economics reveal that the balance between factor endowments — land, labour and capital — is critical to realising comparative advantage. Thus, this demographic development could be huge asset for achieving the Africa We Want and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
However, this tremendous asset will only become the ‘demographic dividend’ if our countries and regions invest in the education of all our young people,” he said.
In his remarks, Ousmane Diagana, the World Bank Vice President for Western and Central Africa said, “education systems across Western and central Africa are facing an unprecedented crisis exacerbated by COVID-19. Learning losses represent an alarming manifestation of the current education challenge. However, countries are committed to address it and we are mobilized to support them through financial resources and expert advice.”
The workshop was attended by ministers from 18 countries, as well as representatives from regional organizations and development partners including the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (UK FCDO), the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi
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