POSTPONED: Transforming the Education Sector to Meet Africa’s 21st Century Needs

A Brown Capital Management Africa Forum Event

Please note, due to the impending snowstorm in Washington, D.C., this event has been POSTPONED to a later date. This event will not take place as scheduled on March 14. Please check this page in the future for information on the rescheduled event, or join our mailing list to be notified when more information is available.

Education can play a key role in unleashing Africa’s development potential, and Africa has made some progress in increasing access to education for its citizens. For example, Africa achieved the largest increases in primary education enrollment under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Yet while progress has been made in expanding access to education, many challenges remain, as the inclusion of quality education in the Sustainable Development Goals demonstrates. Fundamental barriers to education persist, such as the quality of the curricula and apparent disconnects with development needs, high cost to families, and limited infrastructure. In addition, access to strong STEM education remains limited, creating a gap between the capacity of graduates and the expectations and needs of employers. All of these factors combine to produce high unemployment rates for those both with and without formal education.

National governments and international partners have responded to some of these issues, with many instituting universal primary education or entrepreneurship programs. Education evaluation has also progressed from traditional metrics of literacy and enrollment rates to include the quality of learning outcomes. Positive change has been initiated in Africa’s education sectors, but continued systemic transformation to achieve better alignment between educational curricula, the job market, and the national and international economy at large is crucial for youth to thrive in Africa’s dynamic economic environment. Africa's educational limitations and challenges hinder the continent's competitiveness in the global economy.

Launched in September 2015, the Brown Capital Management Africa Forum provides a premier platform for substantive and solutions-oriented dialogue on key trade, investment, and development issues in Africa, and in U.S.-Africa relations.

Please note, due to the impending snowstorm in Washington, D.C., this event has been POSTPONED to a later date. This event will not take place as scheduled on March 14. Please check this page in the future for information on the rescheduled event, or join our mailing list to be notified when more information is available.