The African Union High Representative for Silencing the Guns, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, has highlighted the critical importance of education reform to Ghana’s long-term development, describing the sector as central to the nation’s future.

Speaking at the 2026 Public Lecture Series of the University of Education, Winneba on Friday, April 10, Dr Ibn Chambas said the conversation around education must go beyond policy adjustments to address deeper structural issues affecting learning outcomes.

“Today’s conversation is therefore profoundly consequential, not only on Ghana’s education system but her overall development,” he stated.

“We are not here to discuss a budget line item, nor a simple curriculum reform, but the very soul of Ghana’s future.”

His remarks formed part of a broader national dialogue on rethinking education for sustainable development, bringing together academia, policymakers, and industry leaders.

Dr. Ibn Chambas placed strong emphasis on foundational learning, describing it as the bedrock upon which the entire education system must be built.

“If education is a tree, then foundational learning is its root system,” he explained, stressing that without strong foundations, the broader goals of education reform would remain unattainable.

He cited assessments by the Ministry of Education Ghana and the Ghana Education Service, which indicate persistent challenges in basic literacy and numeracy among young learners.

According to him, “a significant proportion of learners at Primary Two and Primary Four struggle with basic literacy and numeracy competencies,” highlighting what he described as a worrying trend.

The diplomat also pointed to the issue of “learning poverty” — defined as the inability of a child to read and understand a simple text by the age of 10 — as a pressing national concern requiring urgent attention.

Despite these challenges, Dr. Ibn Chambas acknowledged efforts by successive governments to address foundational learning gaps through targeted interventions.

He highlighted the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP) as a key initiative aimed at improving basic education outcomes.

“In response, governments have intensified interventions through GALOP, under which over 10,000 basic schools have been supported with targeted interventions improving reading proficiency and numeracy outcomes, particularly in underserved districts,” he noted.

The programme, he said, reflects a growing recognition of the need to strengthen early-grade education as a prerequisite for broader educational transformation.

While commending these interventions, Dr Ibn Chambas stressed that Ghana must move beyond incremental improvements and undertake more fundamental reforms that prioritise quality learning.

He warned that without addressing foundational gaps, gains made in access and enrolment could be undermined by poor learning outcomes, ultimately affecting national productivity and development.