Financing education in Africa

The report examines education spending in Africa, noting that while many countries exceed the African Union's 20% budget allocation target, funding remains inadequate due to inefficiencies and declining international aid. It highlights significant regional disparities in per-student spending and a critical disconnect between high expenditure and educational performance, largely because budgets are dominated by recurrent costs like salaries rather than capital investments.

• Most African countries allocate more than the 20% of national budgets recommended by the African Unions Dakar Framework for Action, with an average spend of nearly 25%.
• In 2019, total education expenditure in Africa was US$131.7 billion, or 4.6% of GDP, with projections suggesting this will reach 5% of GDP by 2043. Regional spending varies, with Southern Africa highest at 5.6% of GDP and Central Africa lowest at 3.1% of GDP.
• Education costs increase significantly as students progress through the educational funnel; in 2019, the average spend on tertiary students (US$1,775) was 6.5 times higher than the cost for primary students.
• African governments face a growing funding gap due to the rise of free secondary education in countries like Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, coupled with a decline in international aid, which dropped by US$2 billion in 2022.
• Africa's education spending is described as the least efficient globally, with a significant portion of budgets consumed by recurrent expenditures such as salaries, which limits investment in infrastructure and learning materials.

APA

Aikins, E. R., & Cilliers, J. (2026). Financing education in Africa. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=03-financing

Chicago

Aikins, Enoch Randy, and Jakkie Cilliers. Financing education in Africa. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=03-financing.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aikins |first1=Enoch Randy |last2=Cilliers |first2=Jakkie |title=Financing education in Africa |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=21 April 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=03-financing |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aikins2026financing, author = {Aikins, Enoch Randy and Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{Financing education in Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=03-financing}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }