Keypoints:
- Two-year pact to reform learning systems
- Focus on data-driven accountability
- Aims for literacy and numeracy by age ten
HUMAN Capital Africa (HCA) and the Hempel Foundation have launched a landmark two-year partnership to strengthen political commitment, accountability, and data-driven reform for foundational learning across sub-Saharan Africa.
The partnership was unveiled during a closed-door session at the 2025 ADEA Triennale, attended by senior representatives from both organisations, development partners, and African education leaders. The initiative underscores a shared ambition: to ensure every African child can read, write, and count by the age of ten — a crucial step for long-term learning and human capital growth.
Confronting Africa’s learning deficit
Sub-Saharan Africa faces one of the world’s deepest education challenges. Despite being home to the fastest-growing youth population globally, nine out of ten children in the region cannot read or perform basic maths by age ten. According to the World Bank, this global learning crisis represents a staggering $21trillion in lifetime earnings lost in present value.
The HCA–Hempel Foundation partnership aims to confront this crisis by embedding foundational learning at the heart of national education systems. The collaboration will drive stronger political leadership, institutional accountability, and data-based policymaking to ensure decisions reflect classroom realities.
Driving systemic reform
The partnership will push for system-wide transformation by deepening political commitment and accountability at all levels. It seeks to engage Heads of State, Ministers of Education and Finance, and other senior policymakers to elevate foundational learning as a national and continental development priority.
By sustaining high-level political momentum, the partnership aims to link education reform directly to Africa’s wider human capital and economic development goals, ensuring that progress is both measurable and lasting.
A major focus is strengthening the African Foundational Learning Ministerial Coalition — a platform of ministers promoting peer learning, collaboration, and accountability. The coalition will support Ministers to advance reform within their own countries while fostering regional cooperation.
The initiative will also lay the groundwork for a continental accountability mechanism to monitor results and guide future policy, ensuring that political promises translate into tangible progress in children’s learning outcomes.
Data at the heart of reform
Beyond advocacy, the HCA–Hempel partnership will support governments in Malawi and Uganda to improve data use and accountability mechanisms at both national and district levels.
Tools such as the Adoption Tracker and the Foundational Learning Assessment Tool (FLAT) will help governments monitor progress, evaluate reforms, and ensure that classroom insights inform policy decisions.
These efforts will reinforce political will, promote cross-country learning, and deliver tangible improvements in foundational education across the continent.
‘Collaboration anchored in evidence’
Dr Obiageli ‘Oby’ Ezekwesili, Founder and Chair of Human Capital Africa, said the partnership builds on proven methods that work.
‘We already know what works to get children learning — what Africa needs now is the political will, the discipline, and the partnerships to take those solutions to scale,’ she said. ‘Foundational learning is achievable when governments lead decisively, when accountability is clear, and when the private sector and philanthropy step up alongside them.’
Anders Holm, CEO of the Hempel Foundation, highlighted the importance of leadership and data in driving progress.
‘Accelerating progress in children’s learning requires strong political leadership, accountability, and the smart use of data and evidence,’ Holm said. ‘Through our partnership with Human Capital Africa, we aim to strengthen all three — helping governments place foundational learning at the heart of national policies, track progress more effectively, and translate data into tangible improvements in classrooms.’
