Ghana’s Education Minister leads call for collaboration to improve learning outcomes in Africa

Ghana’s Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has called on African nations to step up collaboration with non-state actors to improve learning outcomes for children on the continent.

Dr Adutwum made the remarks at a side event titled “Innovative Partnerships at Scale to Achieve SDG 4 in Africa,” held during the Education World Forum (EWF) in London on May 21st, 2024. The event was co-hosted by the Global Schools Forum and the IDP Foundation, Jacobs Foundation, and Vitol Foundation.

Ghana Championing Collaboration in Education

“Ghana is proud to be an early adopter of partnerships with the non-state sector,” Dr Adutwum said. His Excellency emphasised the importance of measuring the impact of these collaborations and tracking data on non-state providers to demonstrate the benefits for human capital development.

The side event saw participation from Education Ministers from Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Malawi, all of whom committed to increased collaboration with non-state actors as a key strategy to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) – ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all.

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A Unified Approach to Tackle Africa’s Learning Crisis

This focus on collaboration aligns with a broader movement across Africa to address the continent’s learning crisis.

Additionally, a Ministerial Breakfast at the Education World Forum brought together African Ministers of Education, alongside international organisations, including UNICEF, The World Bank, and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This gathering re-emphasised the growing  surge in commitment from African leaders to tackle the issue.

Notable mention of participants:

• Zambian Education Minister Hon. Douglas Syakalima representing His Excellency Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia, as the Champion for Foundational Learning (FL) in Africa.
• Dr. Obiageli ‘Oby’ Ezekwesili – Former Nigerian Minister of Education and President / Founder of Human Capital Africa

Why does this matter?

1. A significant portion (9 out of 10) of students lack basic literacy and numeracy skills. This hinders academic progress, workforce readiness, and overall economic growth.
2. Support from development partners is siloed and lacks a unified approach, making it difficult to address the learning crisis effectively. 
3. Inadequate teacher training, resources, and incentives (especially in rural areas) hinder their ability to deliver quality education and improve learning outcomes.

Key takeaways from the meeting:

1. African leaders are taking ownership of the learning crisis: Participants acknowledged the urgency to address the learning crisis. The Education World Forum highlighted key steps taken by various Governments  to address the continent’s critical learning crisis, such as Malawi’s 5-Steps initiative, and Sierra Leone’s 90:90:90 initiative. 
2. Focus on evidence-based interventions: There was an emphasis on the need for data-driven approaches to inform policy, measurement and accountability among African leaders and development partners.
3. Integrated solutions: Policymakers, development partners and stakeholders must collaborate and deliver integrated FLN programs, to ensure cost-effective and impactful implementation. 
4. Scaling up what works: Stakeholders must work to scale up successful FL initiatives such as Structured Pedagogy (SP) and Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL).

What’s Next?

• Leveraging key events to build awareness and momentum: 
  • Use the African Union Year of Education (AUYoE) to solidify FL as the foundation of Africa’s future education strategy.
  • Implement recommendations from the ADEA High Level Policy Dialogue (Zambia, November 2023) which provides insights and strategies for strengthening FL. 
  • Leverage the African Union Mid-Year Summit (Ghana, July 2024) and the FLEX ADEA Policy Dialogue (Rwanda, November 2024) to champion FL and discuss scaling successful interventions.
• Taking collective action: 
  • All stakeholders are urged to implement the Call to Action released by Human Capital Africa & ADEA at the AU Summit (February 2024) which outlines specific actions for stakeholders to improve FL outcomes. 
  • Furthermore, develop a continental FL scorecard to track key commitments made by African nations at the AUYoE, fostering transparency and accountability.