On 25th May, Africa and the world celebrate Africa Day, commemorating the foundation of the African Union (AU and then Organisation of African Unity) in 1963. The day embraces the AUs vision of an “integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.” This year, in 2024, Africa Day holds particular significance within the context of global education: Earlier this year, the AU declared 2024 the “Year of Education”.
Exploring how breakthroughs on tax, debt, and austerity could transform education financing, with a special focus on African Union States and Ireland’s overseas aid investment in Africa, our speakers provided an overview of Ireland’s overseas aid investment in education in Africa and offered insights from two key publications: the TaxEd Alliance’s new report “Transforming Education Financing in Africa – A Strategic Agenda for the African Union Year of Education” and ActionAid Ireland’s Paper “Education versus Austerity”.
The seminar explored the expanding evidence base and initiatives aimed at strengthening global education financing through tax, debt, and austerity reform drawing inspirations from a strategic agenda for Africa. It also scrutinized the ramifications of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) austerity policies on worldwide progress on education and Ireland’s overseas aid investment.
We had an exciting speaker line-up and agenda:
- Introductory input: Overview of Ireland’s overseas aid and investment in education in Africa by Frank Mc Manus, Policy Unit of the Development Cooperation and Africa Division, Irish Aid
- Keynote: Transforming Education Financing in Africa by co-author of TaxEd Alliance report, Ashina Mtsumi, Coordinator of the TaxEd Alliance
- Keynote: Education versus Austerity: The IMF’s influence on Ireland’s overseas aid investment by Karol Balfe, CEO of ActionAid Ireland
- Q&A and Conversation
The AUs’s renewed commitment to mobilising joint action for education in Africa offers hope and sets an example for putting education at the heart of government efforts to achieving the 2030 Agenda.
