Education is Africa’s foundation for development — Akufo-Addo tells youth

Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on young people across Africa to become ambassadors for education, describing it as the cornerstone of the continent’s development.

Speaking as the Special Guest at the 3rd West Africa Youth Summit in Accra, the former President said Africa’s social and economic transformation depends on ensuring that every child has access to quality education.

He said the introduction of Ghana’s Free Senior High School policy was intended to address the growing number of young people who were unable to access secondary education because of financial constraints.

According to him, nearly one million young Ghanaians were excluded from secondary education over a decade, warning that such a trend would have serious consequences for the country’s future development.

He noted that the policy significantly increased enrolment, particularly among girls and children from disadvantaged backgrounds, while ensuring that access to secondary education was no longer determined by a family’s financial circumstances.

Recalling an encounter during his presidency, Nana Akufo-Addo said a woman once complained that the Free SHS policy had made it difficult to find housemaids because many young girls who would otherwise have entered domestic work were now in school. He described the remark as a powerful illustration of the policy’s impact.

He stressed that although investments in roads, hospitals and other infrastructure are important, education remains the bedrock of Africa’s development.

He urged participants at the summit to become ambassadors for education in their respective countries, saying an educated population is essential to developing African solutions to African challenges.