ADS 2024, Sub-theme 2 – Video Interviews with Experts | Office of the Special Adviser on Africa

In Focus

In case you missed it

Relive the High-level Policy Dialogue, featuring the participation of the heads of the UN and the AU as well as the President of Senegal
Watch the recording of the International Webinars that took place on 8 May, 15 May and 22 May respectively.
Watch the recording of the Youth Stages that took place on 9 May, 16 May and 23 May (English | French) respectively.
Read our new policy briefs titled STEM Education for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in Africa with a Focus on Generating Decent Jobs for Africa's Youth, Transforming Education in Africa by Leveraging Innovative Finance and the Digital Revolution and Education and Learning in Crisis-affected Areas.

Week 2 | Day Two — 14 May

Experts from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the World Bank are sharing their insights, contributing ideas to complement the documentary videos published on the first day of the second week at the Africa Dialogue Series 2024. From harnessing universal connectivity to accelerate quality learning in Africa to the expected changes in the school-age population that could impact public finances, the exchanges focus on the sub-theme of the second week: "Transforming Education in Africa by Leveraging Innovative Finance and the Digital Revolution."

Leveraging universal connectivity to accelerate quality learning in Africa

In this interview, the Acting Regional Director for Africa’s office at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Dr. Emmanuel Manasseh, highlights the importance of universal and meaningful connectivity as the enabling environment to accelerate quality learning in Africa. The latter also emphasizes the pivotal role of the ITU Academy Centres, which are a free source of information and learning for government officials, students, and citizens alike willing to deepen their knowledge of their ICT skills.

Insights by Harry Patrinos (World Bank) on the Education Finance Watch – Africa Edition 2024

The Education Finance Watch (EFW) is a collaborative effort between the World Bank, the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). The EFW aims to provide a global analysis of trends, patterns, and issues in education financing. It uses various sources of education, economic, and financial data from the World Bank, the UIS, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The EFW2023 updated the analysis of trends and patterns in education expenditure over the past decade up to 2021. It also shed light on changes in the school-age population and projected their impact on public finances over the next decade for selected countries. This special edition of the EFW2023 extracts its findings on Africa, marking the declaration of 2024 as the African Union (AU) Year of Education and aiming to provide information to finance and education ministers. Where possible, the data are disaggregated by each Regional Economic Community (REC) and by each AU regional group.

World Bank Senior Advisor's highlights on educational spending

Harry Patrinos, Senior Adviser for Education with the World Bank, highlights that each additional year of education can increase a person's annual earnings by about 10 per cent, a return that even outperforms the stock market. This benefit persisted through the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the broader societal advantages of a well-educated population. Countries can support this by ensuring access to quality education from early childhood. Globally, nations commit 3 to 5 per cent of GDP to education, recognizing its value beyond mere financial gain. Education enriches personal choices, cultural values, and future opportunities, empowering youth and fostering community development. However, the current under-investment in education is concerning, and there's a need to focus on improving and maximizing education's quality and social benefits.

The imperative for innovation and digitization in Africa

Mactar Seck, Chief of the Innovation and Technology Section at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), talks about the imperative for innovation and digitization with examples from crucial support to underserved communities and connecting young African girls through training.

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