Edson Baraukwa | Africa Guardian
The urgent need to transform education financing in Africa took center stage at a continental education conference in Nouakchott, Mauritania. Over the weekend, African ministers and international experts convened to address the critical challenge of ensuring sustainable funding for quality education, particularly for the continent’s rapidly expanding youth population.
In focused sessions on education financing and governance, African ministers shared successful national strategies, while global experts introduced innovative funding solutions. Zimbabwe’s Minister of Education announced a significant allocation of 26.2% of the national budget to education, while Zanzibar committed 21% of its budget to the sector. Additionally, Zanzibar introduced a new skills development tax targeting the tourism industry to fund technical education initiatives.
“Traditional funding approaches alone cannot meet Africa’s educational needs,” emphasized Prof. Mohamed Belhocine, African Union Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation. Moderating a high-level exchange between Mauritania’s education and finance ministers, Prof. Belhocine underscored the importance of improving spending efficiency and increasing available resources to meet growing demands.
Tunisia’s Minister of Education highlighted the nation’s constitutional commitment to free and compulsory education up to age 16, showcasing how collaboration across ministries can enhance education funding efforts.
The World Bank also presented innovative tools such as the “Data for Development Support” mechanism, which has already enabled Côte d’Ivoire to unlock resources through debt refinancing.
Economist Jeffrey Sachs, speaking virtually, offered a provocative perspective, advocating for African nations to allocate 10-15% of their GDP to education—substantially higher than the traditional 4-6% recommendation. He proposed forward-looking strategies, including future earnings-based funding and international tax arrangements for educated professionals working abroad. These ideas sparked critical discussions on rethinking funding models to meet Africa’s long-term educational needs.
The conference concluded with a unified call to view education financing as an investment in Africa’s future rather than an immediate expense. This shift in mindset is seen as crucial for implementing sustainable funding mechanisms that will support the continent’s educational transformation over the long term.
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