For decades, international organizations and governments have struggled to bring education to the African continent. However, regardless of the resources deployed or the programs implemented, one thing is clear – a huge number of children remain out of school. The article begins with an elusive statistic: 246 million children are not in school. You may wonder what could be the cause of such a problem, but it is actually due to a number of factors – poverty, location, gender, conflict…just to name a few.

The COVID19 pandemic has brought forward how important equitable education and training is. As schools around the world transitioned to remote learning in the wake of lockdowns and closures, the challenges to connectivity and access to learning in Africa became strongly noticeable. Fewer technical skills, access to computers and the internet prevent African students from effectively continuing their education and acquiring the necessary skills to find a job in today’s labor market.

At the current time, due to the Coronavirus pandemic UNESCO reports that 82 percent of the world’s students are locked out of the classroom — and that percentage is likely to rise in the weeks and months ahead. While this may be welcome news for some children, it is nothing short of catastrophic for learners in the developing world for whom access to education is not just about improving quality of life; it can literally be a matter of life and death for them and their families.

The education landscape across the developing world is not just problematic and concerning: it is shocking and alarming. According to UNESCO, one in five people in the developing world do not complete primary school, and as such lack the critical schools they need to gain sustainable, meaningful employment — which puts them and their families at serious economic and in some cases social risk. What’s more, a staggering 250 million children in the developing world of primary school age cannot read or write.

With such massive changes occurring in the world’s economy and in the global marketplace that have come from factors such as war, the Internet Age and global connectivity as well as the movement of large portions of the manufacturing sectors out of some countries and into others, it is likely a good time to re-examine the role of colleges and universities and the role of vocational schools.

Africa’s modern-day transformation process, from its economic growth to expanding diversification, is an encouraging development, but investments in renewable energy will need to be considered to sustain the continent’s evolving status. Solar energy is now a cheaper alternative to fossil fuel, and it is a form of fuel that can be harnessed anywhere in the world, which makes it the logical preference ahead of resources that are scarcely available and can only be uncovered with the right equipment. Africa is blessed with renewable energy resources, including wind, sun and hydro. With the help of policy makers to create frameworks that promote hefty investments and expedite market development through structured policies, not to mention the approval of the regional masses, renewable energy can assist Africa in keeping up with its own progress. Sanjeev Mansotra, a prospering entrepreneur and businessman, reveals why renewable energy is essential for Africa’s present and future.