World Bank rallies for more funding towards education in Africa

The World Bank Group's Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, Dr. Victoria Kwakwa, is urging African governments to enhance collaboration in financing the education sector on the continent. The call comes as the skills gap in Africa remains a significant challenge that needs to be addressed urgently. Dr. Kwakwa emphasized the importance of finding cost-effective ways to achieve crucial educational objectives, pointing to examples like the community-based approach in Rwanda, which has proven to be a successful model. This approach involves upgrading homes in the community to become centers for early childhood development, training community members as caregivers, providing nutrition, health checks, and stimulating materials for children. By leveraging community resources and involvement, this model has effectively improved early childhood development outcomes. Dr. Kwakwa stressed the need for a holistic and coordinated approach to education financing, highlighting the importance of investing in foundational learning to ensure children acquire basic numeracy and literacy skills. She underscored the risk of wasted resources if children go through years of schooling without achieving essential competencies. The World Bank is committed to stepping up financing for the education sector and working closely with governments to ensure resources are utilized efficiently for maximum impact. Dr. Kwakwa also commended countries like Rwanda for their investments in education and called for continued efforts to engage other partners and explore innovative financing solutions. Despite the challenges facing the education sector in Africa, Dr. Kwakwa acknowledged encouraging examples of success, such as literacy and numeracy improvements in Rwanda and initiatives to combat teacher absenteeism in Nigeria. She emphasized the importance of aligning systemic changes with classroom practices and supporting teachers effectively to deliver quality education. The Vice President highlighted the significance of mutual accountability among stakeholders to drive progress and address remaining challenges in the education sector.