Ghana has called on West African countries, policymakers, and development partners to prioritize evidence-based investments in education to ensure children affected by conflicts, disasters, displacement, and other emergencies do not lose access to learning. Deputy Education Minister Dr. Clement Apaak made the call on behalf of Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu at the Second High-Level Conference on Scaling Education Initiatives in Emergencies (EiE) West Africa (ACCELERATE+) in Accra.
West Africa is facing multiple and overlapping crises, including insecurity in the Sahel, climate-related disasters, displacement, public health emergencies, and economic pressures, all of which are disrupting education across the region. According to Dr. Apaak, the effects of these crises are not evenly distributed, with girls, children with disabilities, rural communities, and vulnerable households often suffering the greatest impact.
Dr. Apaak emphasized that education interventions in emergency situations have often been driven by the urgency of responding to crises, but cautioned that acting without evidence could result in scarce resources being wasted. He called on stakeholders to rely on research and data to determine which interventions work, the groups they benefit, their cost, and the conditions under which they are most effective.
The ACCELERATE+ conference provided an opportunity for researchers and policymakers from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and other countries to examine evidence on foundational learning, Accelerated Education Programmes, gender equality, social inclusion, and the cost-effectiveness of education interventions. Dr. Apaak cited Ghana's experience during the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of the need to build education systems capable of maintaining learning during emergencies.
During the pandemic, Ghana relied on radio, television, and online platforms to sustain learning when schools were closed. However, Dr. Apaak acknowledged that children without access to digital devices, electricity, internet connectivity, or adult support were left further behind. He stressed that restoring children's access to classrooms should not be the only priority following an emergency, and that foundational learning, particularly literacy and numeracy, must remain at the heart of education interventions.
Dr. Apaak outlined four key areas that require increased investment to strengthen education systems across West Africa. These include building resilience before crises occur, scaling up interventions that have already been proven effective, ensuring equity remains central to emergency education programmes, and stronger domestic financing and regional cooperation. He urged researchers to present their findings in ways that policymakers could easily understand and apply.
The two-day ACCELERATE+ conference, being held in Accra from September 29 to 30, has brought together policymakers, researchers, education practitioners, innovators, development partners, and financing institutions to examine evidence and strategies for scaling education interventions in crisis-affected communities across West Africa. Dr. Apaak said the ultimate measure of success should not be the policies developed or pledges made, but the learning gains achieved by children, particularly those pushed furthest away from classrooms by emergencies.
Key points
- Ghana's Deputy Education Minister Dr. Clement Apaak has urged West African countries to prioritize evidence-based investments in education to ensure children affected by emergencies do not lose access to learning.
- West Africa is facing multiple and overlapping crises that are disrupting education across the region, with girls, children with disabilities, rural communities, and vulnerable households often suffering the greatest impact.
- Dr. Apaak outlined four key areas that require increased investment to strengthen education systems across West Africa, including building resilience, scaling up effective interventions, ensuring equity, and stronger domestic financing and regional cooperation.
