This sounds good, but unfinished. For over a decade, the idea of “leapfrogging”, where technological innovation and youthful dynamism could help African economies skip over traditional stages of development, has impacted how policymakers and investors talk about the continent. 

It gave a fresh direction that bypassed challenges like weak infrastructure or limited industrial capacity.

But now there’s a risk of misleading us. The growth we see is uneven, weak, and so not sufficient to address unemployment, poverty or structural delays that have affected Africa’s economic experience for years.

The challenge now is focused on managing delays, the slow progress in institutions, infrastructure, human capital and investment that determines whether growth can be sustained and inclusive.

What Leapfrogging Aimed For

Leapfrogging was desirable because it brought speed. Digital financial services, mobile money, e-commerce and fintech platforms spread fast across large parts of Africa. 

Places without legacy banking infrastructure suddenly had greater financial inclusion. In some urban centres, tech startups have created buzz and jobs far quicker than in older industrialised economies.

These are great achievements, but they are mostly sectoral effects, not an all-around structural transformation.

Leapfrogging assumed that technology could, by itself, overcome historical bottlenecks, that economies could reach high productivity, wide job creation, and regional integration without the foundational work that sustained development in the rest of the world.

Today, we see something totally different.

Economic Growth in 2026 is Stronger for Africa, but Still Waiting

The latest United Nations and IMF data show Africa’s growth prospects are improving. A United Nations study forecasts the continent’s economy expanding by 4.0% in 2026, up from about 3.9% in 2025, while the IMF projects 4.4%.

This growth will be supported by macroeconomic stabilisation and reform progress in some large economies. 

But then, weaknesses are still standing/

• Economic gains are still uneven across regions, with East Africa growing faster than Southern Africa and Central Africa. 
• Growth is concentrated in extractive industries rather than diversified, labour-intensive sectors.
• Per capita incomes are still low compared with those in emerging Asia or Latin America.

So while the headline growth looks respectable, its translation into jobs, incomes and poverty reduction is weak.

What We Mean by “Lag”

To understand why managing delay is important, we need to understand the specific structural delays that hold growth back.

1. Institutional Frictions and Policy Lags

Institutions such as courts, regulators, contract enforcement, impact investor confidence and the cost of doing business. 

Weak governance slows investments and increases risk premia. It is not uncommon to see foreign investors hesitate, not because of global conditions, but because policies and legal frameworks change unpredictably or take years to implement.

Delays here are not minor, are economic challenges that compound over time.

2. Infrastructure Gaps That Slow Everything Else

Infrastructure is a fundamental limitation. Roads, rail, ports, power and logistics are the arteries of any economy. 

A 2025 OECD and African Union report shows that to double Africa’s GDP by 2040, annual infrastructure investment would need to increase significantly, from around $83 billion to about $155 billion. 

Without such investment, markets will continue to be fragmented, supply chains inefficient, and costs high. It isn’t just that projects are slow to complete. Often they are delayed for years due to financing gaps, bureaucratic procurement, or land disputes.

3. Financing Restrictions and Debt Burdens

Debt is another aspect of delay. Many African governments face high debt-servicing costs that absorb large portions of their revenue. 

In 2025, around 40% of African countries were in or at high risk of debt distress, forcing fiscal tightening and limiting public investment. 

Borrowing costs are high and access to affordable long-term finance is limited. That means delays in building schools, hospitals, factories, and even reliable energy systems.

4. Human Capital and Demographic Pressure

Africa’s population is young and growing fast. That should be an advantage. But without parallel investment in education, health, and skills, it becomes a liability. 

Countries are creating millions of new workers every year. Prepare them with skills too slowly, and the result is unemployment or underemployment.

This is happening now, affecting productivity and social stability.

Structural Drag in Practice: Case Examples

South Africa

South Africa’s economy is under structural drag despite signs of improvement. Growth is moderate, roughly 1.4% in 2026 according to recent IMF analysis, even as governance and financial oversight have improved. 

Debt levels are high and political consensus on fiscal frameworks weak. These delays, in policy, reform and investment, are slowing what could otherwise be a stronger recovery.

Kenya

Kenya’s central bank has cut interest rates repeatedly to stimulate lending, and the economy continues growing at a solid pace, with projections around 5.5% in 2026. 

That is good, but drought risk, external shocks, and infrastructure bottlenecks still temper what growth can produce. The economy shows that faster growth doesn’t automatically solve deep structural lags.

Botswana

Botswana is expected to rebound to about 3.1% growth in 2026 after contractions in prior years, driven by transitions in its key diamond sector. 

But debt and a significant budget deficit are emerging challenges. Even with a rebound, long-term diversification and sustainable growth are delayed by economic dependencies.

Why Delay Management is Essential

This focus on delays is not pessimism. It is realism grounded in the way economies actually transform.

1. Sequencing. Good policies implemented in the wrong order, or without institutional support, can stall or reverse gains.
2. Investors value predictability. They won’t commit at scale if frameworks change with little warning or if legal protections are weak.
3. Addressing bottlenecks multiplies profits. A reliable power grid does more for productivity than a faster startup ecosystem alone. Functional courts do more for long-term contracts than flashy innovation hubs.

When we talk about Africa’s economic sustainability, we should focus as much on how long structural fixes take and what slows them as we do on headline innovation narratives.

A New Growth Playbook

If leapfrogging is giving way to a deeper focus on delay management, what must change?

• Strengthen Institutions: Transparent rules, enforcement, and stable policy environments reduce uncertainty and cost.
• Invest Strategically in Infrastructure: Close financing gaps and prioritise projects that ensure market connectivity and productivity.
• Expand Human Capital: Build skills that match emerging labour markets, particularly in technology, engineering and services.
• Strengthen Regional Integration: Trade limitations between African states still makes growth slow. The African Continental Free Trade Area must get to implementation.

These are the investments that underpin growth that lasts.

The leapfrogging case was never wrong to highlight innovation. But it was incomplete.

Today, Africa needs to confront the delays embedded in institutions, infrastructure, human capital and finance to ensure economic growth in 2026. These delays don’t vanish with technology; they require focused policy, patience and long-term investment.

If Africa can master these delays, we will see growth that is faster, more inclusive, more stable and more transformative in citizens’ lives.

Quick Read:

• The African CEOs’ Coalition for Foundational Learning will bring together private sector leaders to tackle the learning crisis, harnessing their influence, networks, and corporate capabilities to strengthen delivery, shape policy, and build the skilled workforce Africa’s future demands.

• The Africa Philanthropy Coalition for Foundational Learning will combine the collective influence, expertise,  and resources of Africa’s growing philanthropic sector to increase the resources available to catalyse and deliver proven, African led solutions.

The launch event took place at a high-level dinner at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja to mobilise urgent action from African stakeholders to deliver African-led solutions to address the continent’s learning crisis. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, nine out of ten children cannot read and understand a simple text by the age of ten.

This is one of the highest rates of learning poverty in the world, and it is not just an education challenge.

It is a human capital emergency.

That emergency is made even more acute by recent changes in the global funding landscape for education. Between 2023 and 2026, global education aid is projected to decline by US $3.2 billion, a 24 percent drop.

In West and Central Africa, funding could fall by 25 percent, and by 28 percent in Eastern and Southern Africa.

At the dinner, leaders focused on practical steps needed to deepen collaboration and partnerships between African stakeholders to fill the education finance gap and scale up the African-led solutions that are demonstrating strong progress at country-level.

Opening the conversation, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, Founder and CEO of Human Capital Africa said: “We are here with the conviction that Africa led philanthropy and private sector leadership can change the trajectory of education on our continent. They must become active participants in the process of fixing this time bomb.  It is a solvable problem if we work together.

The message is clear: we can no longer depend on others to solve this challenge for us. Africa must lead, by mobilising domestic resources, designing solutions for our contexts, and building powerful partnerships that put foundational learning at the centre of our development agenda.

In his remarks, Niyi Yusuf, chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, said: “As business leaders it is in our enlightened self interest to ensure our populations become a productive and innovative working class that can think, but most importantly thrive.  When the foundation is weak, there is only so much you can build on top. By 2050 Africa will have 2.5 billion people, and the majority of them will be young people. They are not just the workforce of the future, they are the consumers of the future. If they can’t produce quality. If they can’t earn properly. They cannot consume. As the NESG, we would like to publicly commit to this work on foundational learning. The journey starts today.”

Zouera Youssofou, the CEO of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, endorsed the African Philanthropy Coalition on Foundational Learning, saying: “If you don’t get foundational learning right, nothing else will matter.  That is the message that we need to keep repeating. We all know it. But we are not paying enough attention and we are not investing enough in it.

African philanthropies are in Africa, close to the beneficiaries of our work and aware of the context. There are things a local organisation can do that an outside organisation cannot. We have been the beneficiaries of foreign aid for too long. These are things that we must address ourselves.”

In a passionate keynote address, Dr Tayo Aduloju, the CEO of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group said: “This problem is so profound, because we can see that we are budgeting and spending our limited resources on building more schools, on employing more teachers, and we are told that just spending money solves the problem. It doesn’t. Our children are struggling to learn in a system that does not teach learning. Many of them are smart enough to realise that they are not learning, and that realisation is a key driver of our children leaving schools.

Learning poverty is a symptom of a nation of irresponsible adults. We have to solve for a generation of irresponsible adults that has left 20 million children out of school and more unable to learn. As the NESG commits to this coalition we must acknowledge that we cannot afford to fail. How we treat the child in the next decade will determine not just our competitiveness but our survival as a country and as a continent.”

Demonstrating the potential power of African philanthropy Mosun Layode said: “Africans have an estimated investable wealth of $2.7 trillion and the number of millionaires is expected to grow by 65% in the next decade. We have the wealth required to drive development on the African continent. We need to ensure our philanthropy is aligned with national plans, does not work in silos and invests its resources collaboratively in the areas that drive impact.”

The African CEO and Philanthropy Coalitions will complement the success of the African Ministerial Coalition for Foundational Learning, which has delivered strong commitments from more than 30 countries to end learning poverty in Africa by 2035. 

The event was held alongside the United Nations General Assembly and brought together Heads of State, Ministers of Education, business leaders, civil society organizations, and distinguished African intellectuals from different sectors.

The aim was to discuss the crucial role of foundational learning in enhancing education for the future of Africa and to highlight the leadership being demonstrated across the continent to tackle this issue.

Mr. Frank Nweke, a member of the Human Capital Africa corporate board, opened the roundtable on behalf of Dr Joyce Banda, the Chair of the Advisory Board, former President of Malawi.

She highlighted the magnitude of the learning crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa and shared some hope that evidence-based approaches can help reverse the situation.

The event commenced with a compelling address by Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, the Founder and CEO of Human Capital Africa, who set the tone for the day by emphasising the urgency of the learning crisis. She highlighted the need and the urgency to address the fact that 9 out of 10 children in Africa are unable to read with understanding by the age of ten. Importantly, she celebrated the leadership demonstrated across the continent to take ownership of the challenge.

She added:

“Education is a key catalyst to resolve many of the challenges faced by our continent. Every child deserves quality education and this can only be achieved if we all take responsibility and invest in foundational literacy and numeracy wherever we are. If we do not, then the ripple effect will extend beyond Africa, to the economies of big nations. Setting the right foundations for learning during the early years, before the child ends grades 2 and 3, is fundamental. This is a challenge we can solve, and we can change the situation faster than we imagine if we are all coordinated. I am inspired by the leadership being demonstrated by African governments.”

Speaking at the event, Mark Suzman, the CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, added:

“We’re all here because we believe every child deserves quality education. A great education is essential for a healthy future for all. Unlocking that potential starts with our children and young people, especially in Africa. By 2050, one in every four people on the planet will be African. Fifty per cent of the African population will be under 25. Many of the people who will transform the continent—and find solutions to some of the world’s greatest challenges are children now. These are the people who will start businesses that lift up their communities, who will tackle climate change and build food security, and who will make discoveries that can help reduce maternal mortality and eradicate malaria. The time to act is now. It’s valuable to make these commitments here in New York – but the real work is being done by talented teachers and school leaders in classrooms and communities across Africa.”

The work to improve education in Africa is being led by committed governments across the continent who are taking ownership of the need to develop solutions that will address the learning crisis.

Their work will inform not just the approach that is taken across the wider African continent but has important lessons for how to tackle this challenge globally.

The leadership being taken by African governments was represented by the Minister of Education of Malawi, Madalitso Wirima Kambauwa and the State Minister of Basic Education for Uganda, Dr. Joyce Moriku.

Kambauwa said:

“Malawi is taking a holistic approach to policy making that prioritises foundational learning and we are making significant advancements. We recognise that the teacher is the most important part of the learning process, and we are improving the training and deployment of teachers – ensuring that they are equipped to teach, and are deployed to the areas that need them most – especially rural areas.

“We are enhancing school feeding programmes so that children have food in their stomachs when they learn, targeting an expansion from 2200 schools today, to the 6900 primary schools in the country. Finally, we recognise the importance of an integrated assessment framework to help guide us, and we have begun the process to harmonise our assessment tools, including the use of the HCA scorecard.

Malawi launched its first pilot in Lilongwe City in July 2023 to gather information on HCA’s Micro-Learning Indicators. We tested for literacy and numeracy skills. The Ministry and HCA teams worked closely together to tailor the data collection tools to the specific context of Malawi. We also conducted brief surveys to grasp the experiences of teachers and students within the education system.

“We are determined to continue this journey, in partnership with HCA, as we champion the need to collect data and use it to enhance transparency and accountability at all levels. Foundational learning is the backbone of future learning, and together we can chart a better future for our children.”

Dr Joyce Moriku also added: “As a country we have moved from commitment to action to an investment in the human capital scorecard to ensure that we collect the data we need to make policy decisions. Foundational learning provides the basic building blocks of learning. More investments should be made and there is a need to learn from homegrown solutions to fix the learning crisis. Ultimately, our aim is to establish a system capable of understanding classroom needs, implementing structured pedagogical interventions, observing progress and adjusting interventions based on the system’s reaction, and maintaining regular accountability to the targets we set to improve FLN outcomes.”

Delivering the keynote address, Professor Jeffrey Sachs said: “This is the most important meeting taking place this week at the UN – this is the most important goal for Africa – there is no investment that has a higher economic, social, financial, or human return than education. There is no development without education. We must invest in children and the infrastructure to ensure children have what they require to learn. There is a need for a plan to ensure every child in Africa has access to free education at the upper secondary school level. The biggest question in my 43-year career is why we are not investing as much in education – education is everything.”

The work of Human Capital Africa was recognised by partners from across the development, private sector and philanthropic ecosystems, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, the Global Partnership for Education, USAID, FCDO, Equity Bank, the Aliko Dangote Foundation and the Tony Elumelu Foundation. Each organisation is committed to working together to resolve the learning crisis.

Closing the event, Dr. Ezekwesili said:

“We must all work together to ensure that we retain a focus on this issue and continue to build its salience across the continent, and across the world. We are making progress, but we must reinforce our efforts if we are going to address this challenge. I am inspired by and so thankful for the commitment, and the leadership being demonstrated by so many of our leaders in Africa, and for the support that we have from this ecosystem. Our commitments are manifesting into action, but this journey is still just beginning. We will work harder, together, to ensure that no child is left behind. Thank you.”

The Human Capital Africa scorecard will be launched in a number of new countries and subregions over the coming months, and as we approach the African Year of Education in 2024, the African Ministerial Coalition on Foundational Learning, convened by HCA and ADEA will continue to share knowledge and showcase success to the rest of the continent, and the world.

Speakers at the virtual event, convened by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and Human Capital Africa (HCA), agreed to prioritise evidence-based and contextually relevant interventions and support countries in scaling initiatives with proven results.

Foundational learning outcomes in Africa are below par. The 2022 Spotlight report from the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM-R) and ADEA revealed that 89% of school-aged children in Africa who are enrolled in schools are unable to read basic texts by the age of 10.

This stark reality calls for urgency, as it has far-reaching negative implications for the future prospects of these children and the continent.

In response to this challenge, ADEA and HCA convened various stakeholders and partners, leveraging side events at global and continental fora, including TES and the Triennale, to engage with countries on this result and the need to urgently address it.

The ministerial declaration following the Triennale resulted in the establishment of the African Foundational Learning Ministerial Coalition, comprising Ministers from 12 African countries who committed to making critical changes.

Additionally, HCA launched its Learning Scorecard to provide countries with a framework to consistently measure their performance and track their progress over time. The first session of the coalition meeting took place earlier in February, when the platform was launched and critical steps for engagement outlined.

The second session was an opportunity to share and measure progress and capture lessons from these efforts while setting the stage for a continued push.

The event featured case studies from Cote d’Ivoire, Malawi, Mauritius, and Uganda, delivered by their respective Ministers of Education. While opening the event, the Executive Secretary of ADEA, Albert Nsengiyumva, recognized coalition ministers as change agents whose actions must now catalyze other countries to take action.

‘You are all, as you know, members of the coalition, and we need to act as change agents in championing our fellow ministers in Africa to increase the intensity and the spotlight on foundational learning so that we can actually be able to sustain the policy-level salience in all our African countries. This is the only way that foundational learning can be a sure anchor for learning in subsequent levels of education in our continent.’

Outlining the rationale for the forum, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, the HCA founder, believes the forum is an opportunity for peers to work together to push for better learning outcomes at the foundational level, which will help Africa’s development:

“It is important for us to collectively work together. There is something about peers coming together to address this continental issue. Because the truth is, until our children are learning, we are not ready for development. So it is my very deep pleasure to welcome the ministers and the leaders in the education space that have joined us today, and we look forward to hearing from the speakers on our panel over to you.”

In his contribution, Dr. Benjamin Piper, the Global Education Director at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, underscored the importance of rigorous evidence as a base for resource mobilization.

“We need to center evidence because funding will follow good evidence. As countries consider how to mobilize financial resources, it is important that they understand that evidence that is rigorous and contextually relevant is key to   attracting funding. It is also important to prioritize local capacity and expertise, as contextual understanding enables more nuanced evidence and solutions that have a better chance of being sustained.”

Highlights of the event include the status update from Malawi on its efforts to improve foundational learning outcomes.

Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima, the country’s Minister of Education, shared the efforts made in pushing for foundational learning reforms, including a  curriculum review, the planned expansion of its school feeding program from 35% to 100%, the digitization of the school system to allow more learners to access education, and the  adoption of HCA’s Scorecard tool to measure Malawi’s foundational learning performance and progress towards expected outcomes.

A panel discussion drew insights and lessons from other countries, especially as articulated by panelists including the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Science, and Technology of Mauritius, Mrs.  Leela Devi Luchoomun; Uganda’s Minister of Basic Education, Joyce Moriku Kaducu; and Prof. Mariatou Kone, Minister of National Education of Côte d’Ivoire. Others included ministerial representatives from Angola, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, and The Gambia.

The African Foundational Learning Ministerial Coalition’s work will continue to engage and push FL reforms, with a primary focus on implementing the strategies discussed during the event.

These include fostering ongoing collaboration among member countries and monitoring progress closely.

A further progress review will take place at the ADEA High-Level Policy Dialogue Forum on Foundational Learning scheduled for the end of October 2023 in Lusaka, Zambia.

Together with other ministers, members of the coalition will meet to review progress made and strengthen their work with peer learning sessions and knowledge exchange.

The African Foundational Learning Ministerial Coalition is a collaborative initiative convened by ADEA and HCA. It seeks to combat the pressing challenges faced by the region’s educational systems. This assembly of education leaders and experts aims to exchange best practices, methodologies, and insights to enhance foundational learning and promote inclusivity.

The event took place on the sidelines of the UN Transforming Education Summit in New York to call attention to the scale of the learning crisis in Africa, where 9 out of 10 children are unable to read with understanding by the age of 10.

The scale of the learning crisis in Africa is being more widely understood, with a range of international and African leaders making important commitments to prioritise foundational learning over the coming years. As these initiatives and interventions are implemented, an independent monitoring mechanism is essential to ensure accountability and provide the insights governments need to change and adapt.

As the continent most affected by the learning crisis, Africa is taking a leading role in designing and delivering solutions. The HCA Learning Scorecard ranks countries in SSA on the quality of primary education. Countries are scored on indicators in 6 categories including Enrolment, Completion, Learning, Resourcing, Remediation and Socio economic factors. These represent the ability of the education sector to provide quality education to children at a young age to prepare them for a future of learning.

Speaking at the launch, HCA founder Dr Oby Ekekwesili said: “It has been incredibly encouraging to see recognition of the learning crisis at this Summit, and to see the level of commitment amongst African leaders, policy makers and business leaders to address the generational challenge the learning crisis represents. This is a problem we are going to crack and I am totally committed to ensuring that we take the corrective measures necessary. To do this we need a common way to assess progress and guide decision making.

It is clear from the results of our inaugural HCA scorecard that we have considerable work to do, with the majority of countries scoring poorly on our 2022 indicators. By providing these benchmarks, we have an opportunity to celebrate the countries making advances, and to focus on those that need most help. Through a series of quarterly and annual reviews, we can ensure the right assistance is being provided at the right time. I am especially grateful to the countries that have partnered with us to launch the initial scorecards, and to the Government and Minister of Education of Malawi, who has walked us through the Malawi assessment today. This is the kind of leadership we need on the continent.”

Commenting on Malawi’s participation in the inaugural scorecard, Minister for Education Agnes Nyalonge said: “We have adopted the HCA scorecard because we know that taking known and reliable data and using it to guide our actions means we are better able to develop policies and better able to implement them. Our number one reform is to focus on data informed decision making and we are using it to guide our response.

The beauty of this tool is that it allows all the partners involved in the education system to understand where they are against their objectives, embedding an inclusive approach. It enables regular multi-level reviews at policy and district level, allowing for mid-course corrections and helping to build collective ownership and accountability.”

The President of Guinea Bissau, His Excellency Umaro Sissoco Embaló, speaking in his capacity as Chairman of ECOWAS reinforced his and the region’s commitment to take action saying; “9 out of 10 children cannot read a simple sentence by the age of ten, this is an issue of the utmost importance and Africa must not let itself be left behind. We are committed to taking urgent and decisive action to ensure all children develop foundational learning skills to realise their full potential. Today I take this opportunity to urge us to convert the commitments we have made into actions and interventions in your countries. We must learn from best practice to implement the right solutions and leverage the scorecard being launched today to measure and report on progress regularly, using these reviews to motivate our people when they succeed and to hold them accountable for underperformance.”

The importance of Foundational Learning to the business community was recognised by Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group of companies, who said in a message to the event that; “This learning crisis is getting worse by the day and has consequences far beyond the classroom. By 2030, about a quarter of the world’s population under the age of 25 will be in or from Africa. So the economic prospects, not only of Africa but of the world, depend on the skills, capabilities and productivity of our youth.

A large proportion of job applicants not only lack basic qualifications but also struggle with simple computation and comprehension. This hinders their ability to take up jobs we are desperate to offer and impedes those already in employment. Skills acquired early in primary school form the foundation for later learning and are fundamental to a productive, capable workforce and a strong economy. Gaining digital skills, or more rudimentary technical and vocational qualifications, is harder without basic learning.

Governments and businesses together need to look to the future and set policies and plans to focus on foundational learning. Investing in these basic fundamental skills would allow African countries to enhance productivity, promote greater inclusion and build a workforce that can adapt to the markets of the future and drive prosperity for all.

The importance of education to Africa’s future prosperity was highlighted by Nathalie Delapalme, Executive Director of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation who said: “By the end of the century, Africa’s youth population will be twice Europe’s total population. Even if we are at low levels of foundational learning today, the fact that we can make progress creates hope, and that is so important if we are going to succeed.”

Reinforcing the importance of addressing the learning crisis, renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie said “Reading is magical. Marks on paper become stories in your head. Reading helps you to think critically and contextually, and enables reasoning. We cannot talk about our problems if we don’t understand them, let alone begin to solve them.

Everything I know today I can link back to what I learnt in my primary school in Nsukka. It was the springboard that allowed me to leap, the foundation on which I could build. Every African child deserves that. It should be considered as a moral imperative. The foundation is everything, without it everything falls apart.”

The Human Capital Africa scorecard will be formally launched with African Policy Makers at the ADEA triennale Summit in Mauritius from October 19-21.

The HCA Scorecard methodology

This is a shocking statistic, especially when compared to developed economies where only 1 out of 10 children do not achieve basic literacy and numeracy skills at the same age.

In Nigeria, alone, 83% of children enrolled in Grades 2 or 3 cannot read and understand simple texts. 

The World Bank predicts that because of COVID-19, learning poverty has been made worse by at least 10%.  Foundational literacy and numeracy are critical skills children need for success throughout their school careers and to participate gainfully in employment in their adult years.

In response, the Board of Advisors of Human Capital Africa (HCA), an accountability and advocacy initiative, have issued a Call-to-Action to policymakers across the continent to take note and respond to this alarming learning crisis. HCA’s Board of Advisors includes stalwarts, who have been driving development in their corners of Africa, like Board Chair Dr Joyce Banda, Trevor Manuel, Kennedy Odede, Kah Walla, Adama Gaye, Sangu Delle, N’Diaye Ramatoulaye Diallo, Erastus J. O. Mwencha and Rosa Whitaker. Together, they are committed to putting this issue on top of policymakers’ agendas.

“This is a wakeup call for Heads of States, Ministers, donors and other partners. It is time to prioritise learning for our children. If children cannot read and do basic mathematics at the age of 10, they will be deprived of the opportunity to be productive members of the workforce, society, and the global economy.”  Board Chair Dr Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi.

Human Capital Africa ’s Call-to-Action invites policymakers to take five actions:

1. Recognize the challenge by reviewing the current state of foundational learning in their country
2. Prioritise the issue at all levels of government
3. Collect, report, and use data on student learning and the overall education system
4. Learn from evidence and other countries and implement what works
5. Hold themselves and others accountable by taking regular stock of progress

Human Capital Africa, spearheaded by Nigeria’s former Minister of Education, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, was launched last year in October 2021, alongside the Nigerian Economic Summit (NES27), in the presence of African dignitaries and education experts.

“It is our responsibility to bring Africa out of this crisis. I invite my fellow country leaders to accept our Call-to-Action and work with Human Capital Africa. Together, we can embark on the journey to improve the quality of education in Sub-Saharan Africa” Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, CEO and Founder Human Capital Africa.