Education is an indispensable tool for achieving economic development and reducing poverty. But while the number of pupils in sub-Saharan Africa has increased, the average net enrolment rate still is only about 63 per cent at the primary school level, and just 48 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively, at the first and second cycles of secondary school.

Compounding the challenge facing African education systems are overcrowded classrooms, a pronounced gender disparity (in favour of boys), a shortage or absence of teaching tools and shortfalls in the quality and quantity of teaching staff.

At the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD !V), UN University convened an official side event to introduce the “Innovative Centre on Education Support in Africa” project. This project, a joint initiative by UNU and the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, seeks to contribute to African development by helping higher education institutions to meet the challenges facing their education systems.

UNU Council Member Komlavi Francisco Seddoh

UNU Council Member Komlavi Francisco Seddoh delivered opening remarks to the audience of about 40. Pierre Kouraogo, of the University of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and visiting professor at CICE (Hiroshima University), summarized the main findings of four papers prepared by researchers at universities in Botswana, Senegal, Ghana and Mozambique on “Policies and Reforms of Educational Systems in Africa”, “Programmes, Pedagogy and Teaching Tools”, “Research in the Field of Education in Africa” and “Training of Teachers in Africa”.

The final research results of the research will be published later this year as Innovating to Revitalize Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Role of Innovation Centres.