Keypoints:
- African CEOs and philanthropists launch new coalitions on education reform
- Urgent call to fill funding gaps and lead with local solutions
- Leaders push for partnerships to end learning poverty
LEADING African business and philanthropic figures have launched two high-level coalitions to tackle the continent’s worsening learning crisis. The initiative, unveiled at a dinner in Abuja, unites corporate and philanthropic powerhouses in a call for urgent African-led solutions to an education system on the brink.
Two coalitions for one purpose
Human Capital Africa (HCA), the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), the Aliko Dangote Foundation and the African Philanthropy Forum jointly announced the formation of the African CEOs’ Coalition for Foundational Learning and the Africa Philanthropy Coalition for Foundational Learning.
The first will mobilise private-sector influence and networks to strengthen early learning delivery, shape policy, and prepare a skilled future workforce. The second will draw on the collective resources, expertise and reach of African philanthropies to finance and scale local solutions proven to raise learning outcomes.
A crisis demanding African solutions
Across sub-Saharan Africa, nine in ten children are unable to read and understand a simple text by age ten — one of the highest rates of learning poverty globally. The problem has become more severe as global education aid declines. Between 2023 and 2026, international support for education is projected to drop by $3.2bn, a fall of 24 percent worldwide. West and Central Africa could lose up to 25 percent of their education aid, and Eastern and Southern Africa as much as 28 percent.
Speaking at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja, leaders called for deepened collaboration to fill this financing gap and to strengthen homegrown education initiatives already showing results.
‘Africa must lead its own turnaround’
In her opening remarks, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, Founder and CEO of Human Capital Africa, said: ‘We are here with the conviction that Africa-led philanthropy and private sector leadership can change the trajectory of education on our continent. They must become active participants in fixing this time bomb. It is a solvable problem if we work together.’
She added: ‘The message is clear — we can no longer depend on others to solve this challenge for us. Africa must lead, by mobilising domestic resources, designing solutions for our contexts, and building powerful partnerships that put foundational learning at the centre of our development agenda.’
Building for a generation to come
Niyi Yusuf, Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, highlighted the demographic stakes. ‘By 2050, Africa will have 2.5 billion people, most of them young. They are not just the workforce of the future — they are the consumers of the future. If they can’t produce quality or earn properly, they can’t consume,’ he said.
Zouera Youssofou, CEO of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, endorsed the philanthropy coalition, stressing that investment in early learning was non-negotiable. ‘If you don’t get foundational learning right, nothing else will matter. We have been the beneficiaries of foreign aid for too long. These are things we must address ourselves.’
Confronting hard truths
Delivering a keynote address, Dr Tayo Aduloju, CEO of NESG, said education spending often misses the root of the problem. ‘Our children are struggling to learn in a system that does not teach learning. Many of them are smart enough to realise this, and that realisation drives school drop-outs,’ he said.
He warned: ‘Learning poverty is a symptom of a generation of irresponsible adults. We cannot afford to fail. How we treat the child in the next decade will determine not just our competitiveness but our survival as a continent.’
Philanthropy’s untapped potential
Mosun Layode of the African Philanthropy Forum underscored Africa’s growing wealth base, estimated at $2.7 trillion in investable assets. ‘We need to ensure our philanthropy aligns with national plans, avoids silos and invests collaboratively where it drives the most impact,’ she said.
Towards 2035 learning goals
The new CEO and philanthropy coalitions complement the existing African Ministerial Coalition for Foundational Learning, which has already secured commitments from over 30 African countries to end learning poverty by 2035.
By linking political leadership with corporate influence and philanthropic capital, organisers hope to mobilise the resources, accountability and innovation needed to ensure every African child learns — and learns well.
