Central Africa needs $8 billion for education infrastructure

With a population that will exceed 200 million in the next decade, Central Africa will need to invest an estimated $8 billion in education infrastructure. 

Growing at a staggering 32 per cent over the next decade, Central Africa will have the youngest population in Africa by 2030. Set to cross the 200 million mark over the next decade, combined with the most undeveloped infrastructure in Africa, Central Africa will have to secure infrastructure funding.

COVID-19 has forced massive behavioural changes in the education system.  Central Africa remains one of the most disconnected regions in the world.  Only 3 of the 8 Central African countries have more than 50 mobile connections per 100 people. Remote learning remains a major challenge throughout the region.  

There will be more than 15 million additional children of school-going age by 2030. Using the UNESCO standard of 40 children per classroom, there will be a need for 380,000 new classrooms. Using an average construction cost of $20,000 per classroom (conservative considering the location), that translates to more than $8 billion. 

This investment will create employment opportunities for close to half a million professionals. Creating these employment opportunities will generate more than an estimated $1 billion in income tax revenue annually for Central African Governments.

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