A new report released today by UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics and the Global Education Monitoring Report finds that, according to their own benchmarks, countries will not achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030.This is a wakeup call for the world’s leaders as millions of children will continue to miss out on school and high-quality learning.

The report, National SDG 4 benchmarks: fulfilling our commitments, compiles the findings from the culmination of a two-year global process convened by UNESCO. Participating countries identified their targets for 2025 and 2030 relative to six key SDG 4 indicators on: early childhood education attendance; school attendance; completion; minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics; trained teachers; and public education expenditure. The commitment made was to accelerate progress between now and the deadline relative to the rate countries achieved from 2000-2015. The findings show that even if countries reach their benchmarks, the world will still fall short of the ambition set out in SDG 4. This is even before taking into account the potential consequences of COVID-19 on education development.

“It is a real step forward that some two-thirds of countries are realistically assessing their chances of achieving the SDG 4 goals. It is critical that nations hold themselves accountable to their commitments for their children. However, almost halfway to our deadline, the process has shown that, even by their own assessment, most countries are not expected to get close to the 2030 goal,” said Silvia Montoya, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. “The next step must be to encourage all countries to submit benchmarks and determine which policies to prioritise before 2030.”

The report shows that according to their own measures, Latin America and the Caribbean and Central and Southern Asia are on course to achieve universal early childhood education. Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and Western Asia will not achieve this goal, where it is estimated that roughly two in three children will be enrolled in early childhood education by 2030 (up from less than half currently).

According to their plans, all regions will meet or be very close to achieving universal primary education. Challenges will remain in sub-Saharan Africa where 8% of children of primary school age are still predicted to be out of school in 2030 (down from 19% currently).

By 2030, countries in sub-Saharan Africa expect to be able to achieve a reduction in the rate of out-of-school upper secondary age youth from 47% to 32%; those in Central and Southern Asia expect to reduce their rate from 32% to 17%. In North Africa and Western Asia, the benchmarks show that countries believe they can reduce the rate from 28% to 14% and from 19% to 11% in Latin America and the Caribbean. The process has delivered a reality check with regards to the goal of universal completion of secondary education by 2030, which no region is on track to achieve. Completion rates are expected to land at 89% at lower secondary and 72% at the upper secondary level by the deadline.

Countries are the least confident about the ability to accelerate progress in mathematics skills: by 2030, globally, benchmarks show that an expected 26% will still not be able to do basic mathematics in the early grades, 32% at the end of primary and 34% at the end of lower secondary.

The percentage of trained teachers is expected to increase between 2015 and 2030 to over 90% in each level of education. The fastest growth is expected at the pre-primary education level, from 70% to 94%. Still, by the deadline, countries in sub-Saharan Africa expect that, despite their best efforts, over a quarter of teachers at the pre-primary level will remain untrained.

“These nationally determined targets do not yet take into account the possible impact of COVID-19 on education which we know has significantly slowed down and may have even rolled back progress on education. It is also troubling that a fifth of countries do not have plans with targets, so there is still work to do before a full realistic picture of where we aim to be by 2030 is available,” added Manos Antoninis, Director of the Global Education Monitoring Report.

The current benchmarks will be reviewed in 2022 to see if countries deem a significant revision of expectations as a result of COVID-19 school closures is necessary.

Notes to editors

The Embassy of Peru in Ghana has honoured Ghanaian Marketing Communications professional, Brand and Talent Management Expert and media practitioner, Jonathan Christopher Koney, popularly known as Chris Koney.

This took place during a ceremony to announce winners of the maiden Ghana – Peru Arts contest held at the Great Hall of the University of Ghana, Legon on Tuesday 30th November 2021.

The event was attended by several dignitaries including the Head of the Peru Mission in Ghana, His Excellency Abel Antonio Cardenas Tuppia, Honorary Consul of Peru in Ghana Hon. Ghassan Yared and the Director of the Centre for Latin American Studies, University of Ghana, Dr. Joanna Boampong. Others were representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, members of the Diplomatic Corps, traditional rulers, and members of the media.

A citation signed by His Excellency MC Abel Antonio Cardenas Tuppia read, “we applaud your selfless dedication towards the promotion of a positive image of Peru in the Ghanaian media. Your devotion and commitment in the framework of the Ghana – Peru Art Contest will forever be remembered and we are honoured to have partnered with you as a judge in the maiden edition of the contest. You are a real master of your craft. We appreciate you, thank you”.

The Embassy of Peru in Ghana launched the Ghana – Peru Arts Contest as part of activities marking the two hundredth independence anniversary celebration of the Republic of Peru. The contest was open to Ghanaian non-professionals between the ages of 18 and 25 years who were expected to produce artworks and literature that illustrates the theme of friendship between Ghana and Peru.

In the language learning community, African languages have long lacked the attention they deserve. For those of us living outside the African continent, the motivations for learning an African language can be both personal or professional. Fortunately, thanks to the development of free, online resources, there’s never been a better time to learn an African language.

Here are three reasons why you should take advantage and learn an African language today.

Learning an African Language Can Shape Your Professional Trajectory

Sub-Saharan Africa alone is home to more than a billion people—roughly 1/7th of the world’s population. Africa is both young and growing, and the economic explosion of countries like Nigeria suggests the continent is set on a growth trajectory— despite centuries of inequities and marginalization from the twin forces of racism and colonial exploitation.

For the continent in the present day, it’s clear that challenges remain. But the region is bolstered by a young population and natural resources offering the potential to foster equitable economic growth and development. Young professionals and students intrigued by the prospect of a career in development, non-government organizations, translation and interpretation, or international business could all benefit from professional proficiency in one of the many African languages, including Yoruba, Twi, Swahili, and others.

Learning African Languages Can Help Connect to Your Culture

The population of the African diaspora is estimated to number around 140 million in the Western Hemisphere. Countries like the United States, Brazil, and others in both North and South America and the Caribbean boast sizable Black populations, which are the lasting legacy of the African slave trade.

Black people in these nations and elsewhere have been systematically subject to racist attempts to erase their history, identity, and shared-sense of culture throughout history. For many, however, learning an African language in 2022 represents an opportunity to meaningfully connect with a cultural and linguistic legacy that has been suppressed for centuries. And now, with the ubiquity of the internet and educational language learning platforms, the barriers to entry have never been lower.

Learning an African Language Can Combat Inequality in Language Education

The teaching of African languages can help connect Black and African people in the diaspora to their cultural and linguistic roots. It can also make for more robust and diverse language offerings in the traditional places where languages are learned.

Efforts have been made to diversify the languages on offer in American universities. Progress is hampered by a general decline in funding for foreign languages in general—even though African languages are of strategic importance to governments in the Global North.

Even technology has been slow to accommodate African languages. Language-learning giant Duolingo is expected to add Zulu and Xhosa to its roster in 2022—after many years of only hosting Swahili on the platform. However, new language-learning platforms are arriving on the scene with the express goal of promoting access to African languages—and the future of African language learning in the US and elsewhere looks bright.

Start Studying African Languages Today for Free

The bottom line?

Technology is making it easier than ever before for users around the world to explore their cultures and take advantage of all that learning an African language has to offer.

Looking to learn African languages at no cost? Then check out Mandla—the seamless new app designed for those looking to strengthen their connections to their African roots.

Click here to get started with Mandla on your desktop, or download the app on your Apple or Android device today.

Mandla, an African language e-learning platform started by a group of passionate first generation African students studying at elite colleges including Harvard, Vanderbilt, MIT and Cornell. The team was inspired by their personal desires to learn their mother tongues and found that there was a lack of resources to do so. Due to these challenges they decided to create Mandla. They are currently building a platform that not only teaches popular indigenous African languages but preserves others that are at risk for extinction.

What does a Bank have in common with a cup of coffee, an adaptor, a cowrie or cake?

This is part of the thrust of Absa Bank Ghana’s new corporate banking advertising campaign that is set to get the capital talking for the most part of the first quarter of 2022.

The thought-provoking advertising campaign uses powerful creative imagery of unique products from several sectors of the economy and links their relationship to Absa Bank’s corporate banking mandate across the country and the continent. This is complemented by sector specific executions (Infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture, telecommunication, oil and gas, power, mining financial institution and consumer goods) across a multiplicity of media channels and platforms.

The campaign, designed to shimmer and glitter in Ghana’s capital city and other regional centers on January 24^th, 2022, uses four proof points – global reach, digital solution, value chain and expert solution– to drive home the Bank’s corporate banking credentials.

Absa Bank Ghana’s significance in Ghana’s economy has been a constant feature in the country’s developmental journey for more than a century. The Bank has supported several sectors, including empowering businesses to be sustainable and helping clients with transformative investment services. It has become a symbol of the Ghanaian financial identity since it first commenced operations as Barclays Bank in 1917.

The corporate banking business, especially, has a history of consistent financing support to many areas, including License Buying Companies in the cocoa sector and the largest single day domestic currency issuance in sub-Saharan Africa at US$2.25bn in 2017. Additionally, Absa Bank has acted as lead arranger for a number of big-ticket deals in Ghana’s finance and energy sectors.

As Regional Corporate Director for West Africa at Absa Bank, Ellen Ohene-Afoakwa says:

“Our fundamental task is to deliver value, experience, expertise and reach to ensure that our clients can put their businesses at the forefront of the financial world, whilst positively impacting their communities and powering their global vision. We are relevant in every sector of the Ghanaian economy from private, public, small and large entrepreneurship ventures and we shall continue to make capital available to grow the markets, transform the continent and maintain our image as the go-to partner of choice.”

Ultimately the advertising campaign is a call to action for both prospective and current businesses to partner a bank with demonstrable bravery and expertise to get things done. The campaign will utilize all key touchpoints in the external media space (TV, Online, Radio, outdoor, PR) together with an ambitious digital and social media approach.

It’s innovative creative execution, will undoubtedly elevate the conversation around the crucially important role Absa Bank plays in Ghana’s economy.