Bridging Africa\’s Development Gap: Education and Global Support for LDCs

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With 33 of 45 countries, Africa makes up +73% of the world’s Least Developed Countries.

LDC 2024

The UN classifies Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as low-income nations facing structural barriers to sustainable development. This classification is reviewed every three years by the Committee for Development Policy (CDP), a body of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Since 1971, the UN has acknowledged these vulnerable countries, which require significant international support.

LDCs are identified using three criteria: gross national income (GNI) per capita, a Human Assets Index (HAI), and an Economic and Environmental Vulnerability Index (EVI). The HAI consists of six indicators, while the EVI includes eight.

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Criteria for Inclusion as LDCs:

  • GNI per capita: $1,088 or below
  • HAI: 60 or below
  • EVI: 36 or above

Criteria for Graduation from LDCs:

  • GNI per capita: $1,306 or above
  • HAI: 66 or above
  • EVI: 32 or below

Countries must meet two of these three criteria for two consecutive triennial reviews to graduate.

Currently, there are 45 LDCs, home to approximately 880 million people—12% of the global population—yet they contribute less than 2% to world GDP and about 1% to world trade. Africa accounts for 33 of these poorest countries, making up over 73% of LDCs, while the remaining 12 are in Asia (8), Oceania (3), and Latin America (1).

Key contributors to Africa’s developmental vulnerability include the Education Index, part of the HAI, which considers:

  • Lower secondary school completion rate
  • Adult literacy rate
  • Gender parity index for lower secondary school completion

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest education exclusion rates, with over 20% of children aged 6-11 out of school and nearly 60% of youth aged 15-17 not attending. Girls face significant disadvantages, with 23% out of primary school compared to 19% of boys, and exclusion rates worsening during adolescence.

To address these educational challenges, the African School of Economics (ASE) operates in Benin and Tanzania (both LDC countries), aiming to provide high-quality education to underserved communities. Additionally, campuses in Ivory Coast and Nigeria work to improve education standards and reduce gender disparities through partnerships and scholarships, fostering the next generation of African scholars and development leaders.

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