WATCH THE VIDEO HERE Sub-Saharan Africa is grappling with a growing education crisis fueled by chronic underfunding and inequitable spending, both domestically and internationally. According to UNESCO’s report, “Closing the global SDG4 financing gap: Accelerating sustainable financing solutions for education”, The region accounts for the largest share of a $97 billion annual gap needed to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) in 79 low- and lower-middle-income countries between 2023 and 2030. “A 2023 costing exercise revealed that achieving SDG4 in 79 low- and lower-middle-income countries would require US$461 billion annually from 2023 to 2030. However, these countries face a substantial financing gap of US$97 billion per year, with Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for the largest share—US$70 billion annually,” the report stated. UNESCO warns about the costs of underinvestment as governments around the world, particularly those in low- and middle-income countries get to lose $1.1 trillion annually due to early school leavers and $3.3 trillion per year for children without basic skills. The report disclosed that governments in these regions allocate insufficient funds to education, spending just $55 per learner annually compared to $8,543 in high-income countries. This disparity reflects a chronic underfunding of education, leaving millions of children without access to quality learning opportunities. This shortfall has far-reaching consequences, including poor learning outcomes and limited opportunities for disadvantaged children. The UNESCO report calls for urgent action to bridge the education financing gap. Key recommendations include:
Sub-Saharan Africa faces $70 billion annual education financing gap – UNESCO
