- Economic, Social and Cultural Rights expert David Ngira said the international community needs to work with African governments to facilitate debt relief.
- He said debt relief will help free up resources for investment in education.
Image: screengrab
Amnesty International Economic, Social and Cultural Rights expert David Ngira has said the debt crisis in Africa undermines the quality of education learners in the continent receive.
On average, African countries have a debt to GDP ratio of 60 per cent.
Ngira said debt should be managed sustainably and the international community needs to work with African governments to facilitate debt relief.
He said debt relief will help free up resources for investment in education.
"The urgent need right now is quality education, accessible education, affordable education, acceptable education and valuable education, " Ngira said.
To deliver quality education to learners, Ngira said there is need for increased budgetary investment beyond 9 per cent of a country's GDP.
He spoke on Wednesday as the world marked the International Day of Education.
The International Day of Education, themed ‘Learning for Lasting Peace’in 2024, provides an opportunity for the global community, especially African governments, to recommit to ensuring that their national development priorities focus on quality education for all children.
Amnesty International noted that Africa's debt crisis is currently escalating.
The lobby said African governments must increase expenditure on the sector to meet increasing education needs on the continent.
"A harsh combination of multiple crises: debt, the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change pushed many African governments to implement austerity measures and reduce social spending including, in the case of education, removing subsidies which enabled poorer children to access learning," Amnesty said.
Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa Tigere Chagutah said debt restructuring and relief will ease the pressure on authorities seeking to enhance support for schooling.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimates that nearly 57 per cent of Africans live in countries that spend more on debt repayment than education and health combined.
It is estimated that Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia and Kenya spend at least a quarter of their budgets on debt repayment, leaving very little money for investment in education. This is further exacerbated by corruption.
Currently, the continent spends just about 5 per cent of their GDP on education, falling below the Dakar declaration which stands at 9 per cent.
Education is the African Union’s (AU) theme for 2024 and part of Agenda 2063.