Selected Issues Papers

Education in the WAEMU: Current Situation and the Way Forward

By Can Sever

June 6, 2025

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Format: Chicago

Can Sever. "Education in the WAEMU: Current Situation and the Way Forward", Selected Issues Papers 2025, 074 (2025), accessed July 17, 2025, https://doi.org/10.5089/9798229013697.018

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Summary

This paper makes the case for prioritizing the education sector in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) by taking stock of the outcomes and documenting its macroeconomic relevance. Education outcomes across the WAEMU region remain relatively weak, while empirical estimates indicate that improvements could lead to large income gains. Given a young population and high fertility rate, ramping up the progress in education remains critical, including by exploring options to enhance quality, safeguarding related spending, closing gender gaps, and improving the resilience of the education systems to climate and health shocks. Beyond national efforts, regional coordination and cooperation have a crucial role in achieving better education outcomes.

Subject: Education, Education spending, Expenditure, Gender, Gender inequality, Job training, Labor, Population and demographics

Keywords: B. education outcome, Economic development, Education, Education in the WAEMU, Education outcome, Education spending, Gender inequality, Global, Inclusive and sustainable economic growth, Job training, Policy option, Potential GDP gain, WAEMU, West African Economic and Monetary Union

Publication Details

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