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Beyond business as usual: Aid and financing education in Sub Saharan Africa

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  • Lewin, Keith M

Abstract

Since 1990 and the World Conference on Education for All well over half a trillion dollars has been disbursed as aid to education with much of it targeted on low income countries especially those in Sub-Saharan Africa. Some of the beneficiaries of this aid have transformed their economies and their education systems to the point where they can act as fiscal states and finance their recurrent and capital spending on education from domestic revenue. But too many states have failed to make this transition and remain overly dependent on sequential waves of external assistance to reduce gaps between the finance available and what is needed. Grant aid is now unlikely to grow as COVID-19 related recession supresses donor spending. Concessional lending to countries with sub-prime credit ratings and high debt service ratios looks imprudent. The architecture and goals of external assistance need to change to focus on making better use of the resources that are available though much increased efficiency and effectiveness, and on ensuring domestic revenue is increased since this is the only pathway to sustainable development that avoids the infinite do-loop of using aid to fill gaps rather than to address their causes.

Suggested Citation

  • Lewin, Keith M, 2020. "Beyond business as usual: Aid and financing education in Sub Saharan Africa," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:78:y:2020:i:c:s0738059320304065
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2020.102247
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ahmed, Manzoor, 2023. "Education in perennial crisis: Have we been asking the right questions?," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    2. Gruijters, Rob J. & Abango, Mohammed A & Casely-Hayford, Leslie, 2023. "Secondary School Fee Abolition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Taking Stock of the Evidence," SocArXiv 8fa2c, Center for Open Science.
    3. David Ansong & Moses Okumu & Frank Otchere & Isaac Koomson & Michael Sherraden, 2021. "Addressing the Burden of Education Financing in Low and Lower-Middle-Income Countries: The Role of Savings Accounts, Cash Transfers, and Other Income Sources," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(4), pages 745-756, December.
    4. Burnett, Nicholas & Lewin, Keith & Heyneman, Stephen, 2022. "The future of aid for education: Three essays," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    5. Śliwa, Sławomir & Saienko, Volodymyr & Kowalski, Mirosław, 2021. "Educating students during a pandemic in the light of research," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    6. Crouch, Luis & Kaffenberger, Michelle & Savage, Laura, 2021. "Using learning profiles to inform education priorities: An editors’ overview of the Special Issue," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    7. Mohammad Al-Saidi & Suhair A. Gayoum Saad & Nadir Ahmed Elagib, 2023. "From scenario to mounting risks: COVID-19’s perils for development and supply security in the Sahel," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(7), pages 6295-6318, July.
    8. Urwick, James, 2022. "Dimensions of inequality in children’s literacy and numeracy in Uganda: Evidence from a household-based assessment," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    9. Gnangnon, Sèna Kimm, 2021. "Effect of Development Aid on Productive Capacities," EconStor Preprints 233973, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.

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