Africa’s population will account for 3.2 billion out of the projected 4-billion increase in the global population by the end of this century and its working-age population will increase by 2.1 billion over the same time frame. 

This projected increase in the working-age population gives Africa a growth potential and a window of opportunity for the "Africa We Want," as stated in one of the priorities of our Agenda 2063, which seeks a prosperous Africa, based on well-educated citizens and a skill revolution reinforced by science, technology and innovation and expanding access to quality healthcare services, particularly for women and girls. 

On this front, the African Union Commission (AUC), through the education division, has been implementing different initiatives and programs to guide its member states on how to ensure that the right supportive policies and strategies are well developed for fostering quality education so as to harness the demographic dividend. 

This is so because we believe that improvement in educational attainment is the key to amplifying productivity and income growth and that a significant share of the demographic dividend is also an education dividend. 

In this respect, a 10-year Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) 2016-25 has been endorsed and established in line with the aspirations and expectations of African citizens and Agenda 2063. 

The following are some of the education division’s implementation and advocacy programs: 

• The Pan African University, an AU flagship, is designed to fostering excellence in African higher education and research, and serving as a driver of innovation, relevance and competitiveness for the continent’s education sector. On the AU harmonization strategy for higher education, the AUC is working jointly with the UNESCO to facilitate the ratification and implementation of the Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Certificates, Diplomas, Degrees and Other Academic Qualifications in Higher Education in African States, while giving different scholarships for disadvantaged African students with excellent academic background. [The convention, signed in Addis Ababa, mainly aims at strengthening and promoting interregional and international cooperation on recognition of qualifications.] 
• On the teachers’ development and quality education front, we recognize that in order to achieve Agenda 2063 and CESA 2016-25 goals, there is a need to improve the status and working conditions of teachers and there is a lot to be done in education, especially the continuation on the AU Teachers’ Roadmap in line with CESA 2016-25. 
• We want to achieve the central role in ensuring that quality, responsive and inclusive education development in Africa meets the individual and collective goals for the development of human resources and intellectual capacity in Africa; the Pan African Institute of Education for Development, a specialized institution of the AU, is charged with the responsibility to function as Africa’s education observatory with the key area ofimplementing the continental education management information system for Africa. 
• In positioning education at the center of the development we desire and transmit into our society, it is important to note that of 75 percent of girls starting school, only 8 percent complete their education on the African continent. This calls for increased strategies for access to early childhood education and development of mechanisms for retention of young women in education systems. This currently is at the forefront of the activities implemented by the AU-International Center for Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa. 
• The first edition of the Africa Day of School Feeding was launched on March 1 under the theme Home Grown School Feeding: a Conduit for Africa’s Sustainable Development. The Africa Day of School Feeding was instituted by the assembly of heads of state and government during the 26th AU Summit, in recognition of the immense value of home-grown school meals to enhance retention and performance of children in school, and in boosting income generation and entrepreneurship in local communities. This, therefore, showcases how the education division is involved in empowering Africans with education and training skills for harnessing the dividend. 

(This is a regular commentary column by the AU on various topical issues. The views expressed are those of the AU)