According to data released by the African Union, African countries have literacy levels of 70%. These statistics, therefore, show that African countries are lagging behind the global literacy rates average at 90%.
The African Union is, however, determined to change this narrative. As a result, in May 2018, it convened a continental meeting titled “Promoting a Culture of Reading in Africa.” It lasted for three (3) days in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
African countries committed to promoting a reading culture
The African Union has comprehended that the literacy levels in African countries are worrying as they necessitate amicable solutions.
Additionally, various African stakeholders have stepped up their efforts to elevate literacy rates in the continent.
For instance, Silas Lwakabamba, the former Rwandan Education Minister, noted that the private sector, civil society, academia, and governments ought to come up with innovative methods to propel the reading culture.
He stipulated that a positive trend was being witnessed because whenever you visited newspaper vendors in towns, a crowd was milling around them.
Lwakabamba was of the idea that this outcome depicted people’s urge to read even though they did not want to purchase a newspaper.
He also asserted that many people could not afford newspapers or books.
Lwakabamba proclaimed:
You find you are reading a newspaper and your friend picks out half of the pages, another takes other pages. It is a question of affordability or accessibility.
African countries reading challenges
Lwakabamba, who also serves as a member of the Atlantis Group of former Education Ministers across the globe, acknowledged that education started and ended with reading.
He, however, lamented that the lack of public libraries in African was one of the challenges hindering optimal reading levels.
Lwakabamba asserted that part of the solution would entail availing affordable reading materials in schools.
On the other hand, digital education investments in West African countries is being hailed as a positive step in moving the education system to a STEM-based curriculum. These will give students a competitive edge and raise the standards of learning in these countries.
