Africa Knows: Africa's knowledge infrastructure expanded

On the occasion of the Africa Knows conference, ASCL staff members and students have compiled Country Profiles of the knowledge infrastructure in African countries. From these knowledge profiles it becomes clear that Africa’s knowledge infrastructure has recently expanded tremendously, and that the results of the expansion of education can be felt throughout the continent.

 

Around 1960, Africa’s average adult literacy rate was very low, but currently it is beyond 70%. The expected years of schooling for children increased from a median level of 8.2 years in 2000 to 11.0 years in 2018. And the number of universities increased from a mere 107 in 1960, with South Africa leading, and many countries having none, to an astounding 2262 in 2020, with at least one university in every country and (in numbers) Nigeria leading, followed by Morocco and Ethiopia.

 

Of those universities and other tertiary knowledge institutions more than 60% are currently private institutions. In many countries the expansion of higher education started in the 1990s, and the very fast expansion of private tertiary institutions happened from 2000 onwards. Africa currently has many more students and alumni from tertiary institutions than ever before, and these people are leading a further expansion of higher education, research, and innovation in the continent, and beyond.

 

Diversity across countries remains enormous, of course, with current adult literacy rates going from only 16% in Niger and 22% in Chad, to 96% in the Seychelles. The expected years of schooling in 2000 was only 2.9 years in Djibouti and Niger, but 15.7 years in Libya. In 2018 the range was between 1.9 years for Somalia to 15.1 years in Tunisia, and with substantial improvements in most countries during the last two decades (although with some doubts about quality).

 

Visit the Country Profiles.

 

Design map: Akimoto/Gijsbert Raadgever for the Africa Knows magazine.