AT the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York, the African Union (AU), along with education ministers and development partners, called for urgent measures to address Africa’s learning crisis. The initiative, coinciding with the launch of the ‘Pact for the Future,’ aims to accelerate the scaling of effective education interventions and boost Africa’s long-term productivity.
Key opportunities and challenges highlighted
The event emphasised the significant role that South Africa’s upcoming presidency of the G20 in 2025 can play in tackling the learning crisis globally. Leaders recognised the influential advocacy of Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, who has championed foundational learning in Africa. The meeting underscored the immense economic potential—up to $6.5 trillion—Africa could unlock by 2030 by investing in its human capital and addressing the continent’s education crisis.
Participants also praised the efforts of the African Ministerial Coalition on Foundational Learning, which focuses on implementing proven interventions to improve literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills. The call was for innovative approaches and better use of both domestic and international resources, following successful models applied elsewhere.
The African Union’s commitment
The AU reaffirmed its commitment to putting foundational learning at the heart of its mission to drive social transformation and sustainable development in Africa. It also highlighted the importance of ensuring long-term focus on foundational learning beyond the current Year of Education, with a priority on raising awareness through the AU-led End Learning Poverty Campaign.
The AU stressed the importance of mobilising international investments in Africa’s children to enable future growth and noted the current inadequate budget allocations to education, which are far below the global average.
Urgent actions from African ministers
African ministers outlined the need for targeted and evidence-based financing, alongside more efficient use of current resources. They stressed the necessity for effective recruitment, training, and deployment of teachers, using evidence-backed methods. The call was also for better data collection and analysis to inform educational strategies and ensure accountability.
Participants acknowledged earlier calls to action from the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and Human Capital Africa, reiterating the need for decisive action to address the learning crisis. They urged a formal declaration from the AU condemning the lack of basic skills among children across the continent, linking improved education to achieving Agenda 2063’s objectives.
A collective path forward
The discussions highlighted the need for an international effort to enhance foundational learning outcomes across Africa. Leaders proposed embedding learning objectives in South Africa’s G20 agenda, and pledged to ensure that all African children can read with comprehension and do basic mathematics by age ten by 2030.
The leaders further committed to using cost-effective, evidence-based educational solutions such as Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) and Structured Pedagogy (SP) to accelerate progress. They called for expanding data collection to track progress effectively and holding governments accountable through a continental mechanism for peer review.
The discussions at the UN General Assembly demonstrated Africa’s determination to overcome the learning crisis, drive continental productivity, and ensure a better future for its young population.
