Africa Day 2024 is not just an occasion to celebrate our past achievements but a moment to call for action to overcome the challenges that still hinder progress for Africans, particularly in education. The voices of Parliamentarians in the SADC region and across the continent are calling for renewed leadership and commitment to revitalise efforts towards the realisation of the right to education for all, especially for the young people of our continent.

As Nelson Mandela once said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Education is the cornerstone of development, engenders the empowerment of individuals, the transformation of societies and constitutes a premise of progress in every society and every family. We, therefore, have a solemn duty and collective responsibility to ensure that every African child has access to quality education to enable him or her to become an agent of change and driver of our continent’s future.

Today, it is also pertinent to acknowledge that the road to comprehensive education for all is still an uphill one. We need to confront the obstacles that still prevent many from accessing education, particularly young women and girls. Gender disparities, cultural barriers, economic challenges and inadequate infrastructure continue to impede progress. We must tackle these issues head-on with comprehensive policies and targeted interventions.

The SADC PF has pursued various initiatives to safeguard the rights of young women and girls and keep them from harm so that they are free to make progressive advancements, including through the enjoyment of the right to education. These initiatives include the adoption of the SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting those Already in Marriage (2016) and the SADC Model Law on Gender-Based Violence (2021). Parliamentarians are once again playing their part in contributing to the realisation of regional and international commitments on education such as the AU Agenda for Children 2040, SADC Protocol on Education and Training, the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030, the Continental Strategy for Education in Africa (CESA), the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) and Agenda 2063.

Today, I call upon all stakeholders—governments, civil society, the private sector and international partners—to take decisive action to enhance access to quality education, advocate for increased investments and develop effective educational policies to address both access and quality issues in education across Africa.

We must turn our commitments into concrete actions and measurable outcomes.

Happy Africa Day!

Yours faithfully,

Ms B. Sekgoma, Secretary General, SADC-PF