Reviewing the Region’s Progress in Reaching the Goals of the Second Decade of Education for Africa: Southern African Development Community (SADC)

The African continent is undergoing an economic transformation. Growth estimates for Sub-Saharan Africa stand at 5.2 per cent in 2014. Much of this growth is underpinned by foreign investments with Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania exploiting new oil and gas discoveries, Zambia and Botswana achieving high agricultural and mining yields and Mauritius diversifying its knowledge economy. South Africa continues to be a power house of economic growth not only for the region but with significant global reach. Growth of this nature presents enormous potential for the continent’s population and young people in particular. A workforce that is appropriately skilled with a reasonable level of earnings significantly stabilises society and mitigates the effects of corruption, illiteracy, poverty and disease. African Heads of State recognising this have made education and training a priority of the African Union’s Plan of Action for Education in the Second Decade.

This brief explores the SADC region’s progress of member states in achieving the goals set by the continental strategy which stretches from 2006 to 2015.