Education in Africa is still developing but with significant improvement over the last 10 years. Development in the sector was primarily driven by greater government education funding, expanded access to elementary school, and improved instructional quality. However, challenges such as the level of enrolment (around 62%) and quality still persist. 

The literacy rates in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya and Sudan range from 52.5% to 94.2%, with the youth literacy rates being higher than the overall rates. The gross enrolment ratio in primary education in these countries is between 89.2% and 97.8%. The gross enrolment ratio in secondary education ranges from 31.7% to 71.5%. According to the World bank According the World Bank, government expenditure on education for each country ranges between 6.6% and 0.5%

African countries are working to address the challenges facing the industry by expanding access to pre-primary education, strengthening school infrastructure and increasing teacher training, and developing new curricula that focus on critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy. The private sector is playing an increasing role in education in Africa.  Private schools, colleges, and universities are growing in popularity as they offer better-quality education and provide a more accessible alternative to public schools.

Many students, especially those from Nigeria, proceed to universities abroad as they are often providing better quality, improving career options, than local universities. For many international universities, the African market has become pivotal hence they are investing at local representatives to help them recruit African students to their universities.