Education is a lifeline for millions across Africa. It creates opportunity, improves health and income, and helps communities grow – especially in places facing deep poverty.
Yet sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of educational exclusion in the world. One in five children ages 6 to 11 are out of school, with older students and girls in rural areas facing even greater barriers. Poverty, conflict, and under-resourced schools make it difficult for many to access even a basic education.
At Bread and Water for Africa® (BWA), we’re working to change that. By supporting schools in Africa, sponsoring students, and partnering with local leaders, we help communities break the cycle of poverty through education. This resource explores the state of education, key challenges, and how BWA is driving change across the continent.
The State of Education in Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa stands at a pivotal moment. The region faces immense challenges in delivering quality education to its fast-growing youth population, yet it also holds incredible potential to shape a better future through sustained educational investment. Below, we’ll explore the major factors influencing the current state of education in Africa, with a focus on access, quality, and equity.
Demographic Urgency
Africa is experiencing a population boom unlike any other region. By 2050, over 1 billion children (nearly 40% of the world’s youth) will live on the continent. This rapid growth places enormous pressure on the national education systems in Africa. The country must scale infrastructure, train teachers, and develop curricula at an unprecedented pace. But this demographic trend is also a powerful opportunity. With the right investment, today’s children can become a generation of empowered, educated leaders.
Education as a Tool for Poverty Alleviation and Social Development
Education is among the most effective tools for breaking cycles of poverty. It fosters economic opportunity, civic engagement, peace, and gender equity. As noted by the African Union report Transforming Education in Africa, strengthening human capital through access to education in Africa is essential for transforming social systems. Children who attend school are more likely to earn higher incomes, live healthier lives, and raise educated families of their own.
Access vs. Quality
While access has improved (the primary out-of-school rate dropped from 35% to 17% between 2000 and 2019), learning outcomes remain dangerously low. An estimated 87% of children in sub-Saharan Africa are unable to read a simple text by age 10, a phenomenon the World Bank defines as “learning poverty.” The challenge is not just getting children into classrooms, but ensuring they learn once they are there.
Impact of COVID-19 on Education
The COVID-19 pandemic deepened the region’s education crisis. More than 90% of students faced school closures, and remote learning programs failed to reach nearly half of them. Without bold interventions, education in sub-Saharan Africa will fall far short of global goals. The World Bank projects the region will not eliminate learning poverty by 2030 unless recovery efforts are dramatically accelerated.
Literacy and Completion Challenges
Completion rates remain low across all levels. As of 2019:
- 65% of children completed primary school
- 41% completed lower secondary
- Only 23% completed upper secondary.
Adult literacy is also a concern. In Western Africa, just 52% of adults are literate, compared to 79% in Southern Africa. This gap affects intergenerational learning, as parents with limited education are less equipped to support their children’s schooling, further impacting the literacy rate in Africa.
Equity Gaps
Educational outcomes vary sharply by income and location. Children from the richest families are 12 times more likely to complete upper secondary education than those from the poorest. Urban students consistently outperform their rural peers. These disparities create long-term inequality, as children from disadvantaged backgrounds remain trapped in cycles of limited opportunity and limited education.
What Are the Biggest Barriers to Education in Africa?
Poverty and Cost
The lack of education in Africa is not the result of a single issue. It stems from a range of barriers that prevent children from accessing or completing school, particularly in low-income and rural areas.
Despite some progress, education in Africa remains out of reach for many. School is often far from free, families must cover the cost of uniforms, transportation, textbooks, and supplies. For many, these expenses are simply unaffordable. As a result, an estimated 60% of the poorest adolescents are not enrolled in school.
Government spending is also too low to close the gap. Over the past decade, median education spending per capita has hovered around US$100. Central, Eastern, and Western Africa average just US$70 to US$90, while Southern Africa invests US$186, and Northern Africa more than US$440 per student.
Learning outcomes mirror this imbalance. In low-income African countries, the average child receives just 4.2 years of effective learning. In some places, governments spend as little as US$47 per child annually, and overall, African countries allocate just one-fifth of what Asian countries spend on each student.
Gender Disparities
Barriers for girls continue to undermine progress in educating women in Africa. Early marriage, child labor, and a lack of female teachers all contribute to higher dropout rates. In many regions, girls also face cultural pressures that deprioritize their education, especially after reaching adolescence.
Infrastructure and Resource Gaps
Many schools in Africa lack the most basic resources. Roughly 2 in 5 primary schools do not have access to clean drinking water, and many lack handwashing stations or gender-separated toilets. In Malawi, poor sanitation facilities have been linked to an increase in dropout rates among girls.
Capital investment remains low. Less than 10% of education budgets in many countries go toward infrastructure. That means crowded classrooms, deteriorating buildings, and a lack of safe, supportive environments for learning.
Conflict and Instability
In parts of Central and Western Africa, conflict and insecurity regularly disrupt education. Violence destroys school buildings, displaces families, and creates dangerous conditions for students and teachers. In 2020 alone, nearly 9,600 schools were closed due to instability, affecting close to 2 million students.
Conflict also worsens the shortage of qualified teachers. Many educators are forced to flee, and female teachers are especially underrepresented in high-risk areas.
The Digital Divide
Only 8% of students in sub-Saharan Africa have access to a computer at home. Many schools still lack basic technology, and few teachers are trained in digital instruction. This gap limits access to online learning, which became especially critical during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Without strong investment in digital infrastructure and training, students in rural areas will continue to fall behind in an increasingly connected world.
How Bread and Water for Africa® is Supporting Africa
Since 1997, we have worked to improve lives across the continent by investing in long-term, community-driven solutions. We are active in more than 20 African nations, building partnerships that are locally led and sustainable. You can learn more about Bread and Water for Africa on our About Us page.
Education is a core focus of BWA’s mission. Through our Education Program, we help children gain access to safe, supportive schools and the resources they need to succeed.
In 2024 alone, we provided school fee sponsorships for 411 students across Chad, Sierra Leone, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. These sponsorships help students remain in school by covering essential costs that many families cannot afford.
BWA also supports building schools in Africa and improving classroom environments. In Sierra Leone, we helped construct new classrooms and delivered 728 desks to help reduce overcrowding and improve student comfort.
To further ease the financial burden on families, we distribute school supplies, uniforms, and textbooks. All resources that are often barriers to enrollment and attendance.
Every initiative is part of a holistic, locally driven model. By working closely with trusted partners on the ground, we ensure that our education efforts align with each community’s priorities and cultural context.
Stories of Change
At Bread and Water for Africa®, we work to ensure that investments in education in Africa lead to real, lasting impact. The stories below reflect how support for schools in Africa, scholarships, and basic supplies can open the door to opportunity and transform lives.
Mumba
Born in a Zambian prison, Mumba was brought as an infant to the Kabwata Orphanage, where he was raised by founder Angela Miyanda. With BWA’s support, he accessed quality education and dreamed of becoming an accountant.
By 18, Mumba had completed secondary school and enrolled at Mwanawasa Medical University to study Environmental Health Sciences. In 2024, he graduated with a degree and now gives back to the orphanage that raised him.
“Being educated is one of the best things I’ve ever wanted”, he shared. “Thank you for all your support.”
John
Abandoned at age 3 on the streets of Lusaka, John was taken to the Kabwata Orphanage, supported by Bread and Water for Africa®. After a brief stay with extended family in a rural area without a school, he returned to Kabwata to begin his education.
Today, John is 12, has completed primary school, and is thriving in secondary school. Proof of what’s possible when children receive the care and support they deserve.
Kenya Bookbags & Supplies
At the Lewa Children’s Home in Kenya, we have helped provide education and care for orphaned and abandoned children for over 20 years. Students begin at KipKeino Nursery, and many continue through secondary school and higher education.
When the home faced a shortage of backpacks and supplies, BWA supporters stepped in. These simple tools help students stay organized and preserve shared textbooks, making a meaningful difference in their daily lives.
“A large number of children have grown up at the home, and most all have become independent members of society”, said Lewa founder Phyllis Keino.
How You Can Help Support Education in Africa
Access to education changes everything. By covering the cost of school fees, uniforms, and classroom supplies, your support can remove the barriers that keep children out of school.
Every contribution goes directly to helping a child learn or improving a school’s ability to serve its community. Bread and Water for Africa® is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so all donations are tax-deductible.If you believe every child deserves the chance to learn and thrive, donate to support education in Africa. Your gift will help build brighter futures across the continent, one student at a time.
