Academic development in African countries is simply more than a means to economic success; it is a vehicle for empowering individuals, improving health, stimulating creativity, and ensuring political stability.
Governments with substantial educational investments are in a better position to compete in the increasingly knowledge-driven global economy.
As a result, it is a vital function of any government to ensure that literacy is proliferated across the region they govern, especially amongst the country’s youth.
Unfortunately, this has not been the case for several African countries.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimates a $97 billion yearly financial deficit for education between 2023 and 2030 in low- and lower-middle-income nations.
African countries generate around $70 billion each year on average.
This troubling statistic highlights why the development of education is one of the United Nations sustainable development goals.
Tagged as the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), this goal aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to address a wide range of environmental and socioeconomic problems by 2030.
While no country in Africa can boast of the complete achievement of the UN’s SDG4, there are countries that are incredibly close, as seen in the most recent Financing Africa report, by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.
These countries’ SDG4 ratings indicate that they are already on par with some of the world’s leading educational institutions.
With that said, here are the 10 African countries with the highest SDG 4 ratings.
| Rank | Country | SDG4 index scores |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tunisia | 93.1 |
| 2. | Ghana | 84.5 |
| 3. | Namibia | 83.7 |
| 4. | Mauritius | 83.5 |
| 5. | Togo | 80.1 |
| 6. | Cape Verde | 79.2 |
| 7. | Morocco | 78.6 |
| 8. | South Africa | 76.6 |
| 9. | Eswatini | 74.2 |
| 10. | Kenya | 71.1 |
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