Education is a humanitarian life buoy for the most vulnerable children in the world. Our investment in their education today is an investment in global security, economic stability and continuous growth of 21st century.
The following content is Yasmine SherifEducation cannot wait for the executive director
NEW YORK,, May 25, 2025 / Prnewswire / – The challenges faced by many parts of the African continent are vast and immense. Of the wave of violence in the east Democratic Republic of Congo at all times SudanYears of progress are erased by bombs, murders and other serious violations of international law.
The best unique investment we can make to approach these multiplied humanitarian crises is an investment in the vast potential and the talents of African younger generations. By investing in their education, we allow them to prevent conflicts, end the extreme poverty and ensure economic development, peace and stability. Without investing in education in this broader vision, none of these imperatives will materialize.
Investment yields are significant. As indicated by the World BankFundamental learning has the potential to double GDP per capita in sub -Saharan Africa by 2050.
Respond to the difference in financing for education
Many countries of traditional donors have considerably reduced humanitarian aid in the past year, with a recent analysis of Unesco revealing a worrying drop of 14% of world education aid. However, we all want to see a stable and prosperous Africa – A continent that deserves less.
Always, Africa falls even further. Esteem of Unesco indicate that, in the world, there is a 100 billion dollars Financing gap to achieve the objective of universal education as described in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, with $ 70 billion of this gap found in sub -Saharan Africa.
Learn poverty is a worrying global trend. Nowhere is this is no longer pressing through Africa. About four in five African children cannot read or understand a simple text at the age of 10, according to UnescoAnd many have trouble with basic numeral skills.
Aggravated challenges such as conflicts, climate change and forced displacement derail the development gains and hinder access to vital education in humanitarian crises – an essential investment to reach peace and economic prosperity. According to the recent study of global estimates by education cannot wait (ECW), about half of the world 234 million children of age supported by the crisis resident in sub -Saharan Africa.
A whole generation is left behind. “Although 75 million additional African children are registered in school today compared to 2015, the number of children outside increased by 13.2 million to more than 100 million during the same period,” said the 2025 transform the learning and development of skills in Africa report.
You cannot have sustainable economic growth without stability. And you cannot achieve without education stability. Africa is a continent in motion, a continent of forced displacement following armed and violent conflicts, as well as climate change.
“In 2020, 21 million Africans lived in another African country. Since 1990, the number of African migrants living outside the region has more than doubled, with the growth of Europe The most pronounced. In 2020, most migrants of African origin living outside the region resided in Europe (11 million), Asia (nearly 5 million) and North America (about 3 million), “according to the Global migration report.
Our collective inability to respond to this urgent education crisis will have disastrous global consequences.
The situation in the east Democratic Republic of Congo
Just look at the terrifying situation collapsing in the east Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This region has been prey to violence for decades, but it has become, much worse in recent months.
In all, there is an estimated 3.5 million Improved children in force in the DRC today. Millions risk unimaginable violations of their human rights, including murder, mutilation, kidnapping and forced recruitment in armed groups. There are also unacceptable sexual violence accounts against girls. In the East DRC, a child is raped every half hour, according to Unicef.
How can we tolerate the magnitude and depth of young girls and boys violated and systematically killed? “More than 79 million girls and women – more than 1 in 5 – across sub -Saharan Africa, experienced rape or sexual assault before being 18 years old,” said Unicef. Let us put this number in perspective. It is more than the total population of Australia And Spain combined.
For children living in the middle of this chaos and this chaos, the options are limited. For girls, it is a future as a woman wife, poverty continues and early pregnancies. For boys, this could look like forced recruitment in terrorist organizations and other armed groups, forced work or migration. For the world, this means an increase in forced displacement and migration, a deeper and more widespread insecurity in the world South, the unstable markets, the unstable populations and the unstable future.
The consequences of the war in Sudan
The situation in Sudan is overwhelming and must end now. Recent estimates indicate that 30 million people need humanitarian assistance, including 16 million children. More than 12 million people were moved inside and outside Sudan Since April 2023Straining Education Systems, Budgets and Capacity in neighboring countries.
In all, conflict and continuous challenges – including forced displacement, climate change, poverty and other factors – left around 16.5 million children outside the school Sudan.
Education is the solution
As a global fund for education in emergencies and prolonged crises in the United Nations, education cannot wait (ECW) and its strategic partners make a value proposal to increase the humanitarian financing of education in Africa and beyond. In doing so, we contribute to joint education programming, hence the broader objective of peace, stability and economic development.
There is a strong economic argument to do. Africa is the youngest and fastest continent on earth – 6 out of 10 people are under 25 years old.
Within all these youth and this energy is the opportunity. According to the World BankThere is a 10% increase in hourly income for each additional year of education.
At the same time, taken at a macroeconomic level, the opportunity costs are unprecedented. “This generation of students is now likely to lose a combined total of US $ 21 Billions of gains for life in current value, or the equivalent of 17% of the world’s world GDP – a strong increase compared to the estimate of 2021 17 dollars loss.”
Investment yields in sub -Saharan Africa can be even more substantial, with some analyzes indicating that each $ 1 US invested in the tripling of registrations for pre-prime education can generate up to $ 33 US in return.
A sustainable heritage
Education – As a transformer, immediate, vital and long -term – breaks cycles of poverty, travel and conflicts. It is only then that we can achieve peace, stability and economic development.
Basically, we all agree that we can do better as a global community. We all know, instinctively, that the world would be a better place if we reduce world military spending – in mind 2.7 dollars – and rather invested in education, health, governance, infrastructure and livelihoods. We know that we can be creative and transform vision into practical results. All you need is to invest only 0.02% ($ 600 million) of this in education – and similar amounts in other sectors – which, together, provide transformational power to strengthen stability, spread peace and generate significant economic yields. It’s not just logic. It is a heritage that is worth living.
Source education cannot wait
