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Africa’s education leaders must take bold ownership of financing their systems while aggressively tackling the fiscal imbalances holding back foundational learning. This was the central message delivered by Sierra Leone’s Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sackey, during a high-level ministerial dialogue at the FLEX2026 conference in Lilongwe.
Speaking alongside Malawi’s Hon. Bright Msaka SC and Rwanda’s Hon. Joseph Nsengimana, Minister Sackey, who also serves as the Chair of the Africa Foundational Learning Ministerial Coalition, offered a candid assessment of the stark economic hurdles facing educational development across the continent.
While praising Sierra Leone’s significant domestic commitments under the leadership of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio, Minister Sackey did not shy away from the harsh financial realities straining national resources.
Sierra Leone currently allocates a commendable 21% of its national budget to education. However, that investment is heavily overshadowed by macroeconomic pressures.
“We must be honest about the challenge,” Sackey stated. “We spend 29% of our expenditure on servicing debt, compared with 21% committed to education. That imbalance cannot continue.”
To rewrite this narrative and protect foundational learning for the next generation, Sackey outlined a clear roadmap focusing on internal discipline and innovative external financing. Sierra Leone is actively pursuing two strategic paths: Strengthening internal institutional frameworks to close financial leaks, minimise waste, and ensure maximum impact for every Leone spent.
Moving beyond traditional funding models by aggressively exploring blended finance, public-private partnerships (PPPs), private-sector Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) engagement, and strategic debt swaps.
Concluding his remarks, Minister Sackey reaffirmed his commitment to rallying regional partners to ensure every child in Sierra Leone and across the African continent receives a high-quality foundational education.
“African countries must take ownership of investing in Education,” Sackey emphasised, expressing his gratitude to the government of Malawi for hosting the crucial summit.
