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Title: The Rise of Education in Africa

Citation Type: Book, Section

Publication Year: 2023

ISBN: 978-94-6447-652-1

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Abstract: In a world where we routinely overexploit our resources in an unsustainable way, the development of human talent has endless potential. When a person is given an education, it both improves that individual and develops the society as a whole. All humans can contribute to economic, social, and political development; therefore, educational opportunities must be provided to as many people as possible. The importance of education for all is clearly expressed in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal, SDG 2 – Quality of education. The value of education touches upon nearly all aspects of our societies. From the point of view of economic progress, it is centred on our abilities to become more productive. This would include finding information in books and websites, making mathematical calculations, innovating and adopting new technologies, passing on our knowledge and experience to others, and so on. The basis for it is the ability to read (literacy) and count (numeracy). Education, skills, experience, character, and creativity together correspond to what the economists call ‘human capital’. When combined with new technology and modern machines, this human capital makes each worker more productive. The lesson is clear: To grow richer, we need to improve education and skills. In Africa, the history of education and the development of specialised skills in literacy and numeracy can be traced back to ancient Egypt. But although education has a long history on the continent, many African countries today struggle to offer good quality education to their citizens, and the value of the region’s human capital is low overall. Considering the substantial current and future population growth, human talent is a force that could drive socio-economic development in the region. In this chapter, we will discuss how Africans acquired new skills, in the past and in the present. To do so, we begin with a short review of the economic benefits of education and then proceed to a discussion of education in Africa today and in the past. We consider the role of Islam, Christianity and colonisation, and follow the development of education in Africa during the period of independence.

Url: https://www.aehnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/AEHN_Textbook_29_March_2023_final.pdf

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Authors: Ferber, Sarah; Fourie, Johan; Meier Zu Selhausen, Felix

Editors: Frankema, Ewout; Hillbom, Ellen; Kufakurinani, Ushehwedu; Meier Zu Selhausen, Felix

Pages: 133-154

Volume Title: The History of African Development

Publisher: African Economic History Network

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Data Collections: IPUMS Global Health - DHS

Topics: Education, Population Data Science

Countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe