The Royal Commonwealth Africa Office is urging governments to think about interventions in education that will cater for literacy and skills development in Africa’s youth.

Even though Africa is making some progress in literacy development with an estimated 70% rate of literacy on the continent, a lot still needs to be done in ensuring maximum literacy as well as skills development across the region.

On the occasion of International Literacy Day celebrated on the 8th of September, 2018, Head of the Commonwealth Africa Region, John Apea said there must be a deliberate effort and interventions in promoting literacy and skills development across Africa and the Commonwealth sub-region in particular.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “Literacy and Skills development.”

Borrowing from the late UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who said “For everyone everywhere, literacy is a basic human right” Mr Apea in statement said “we cannot develop as a country or continent leaving out sections of the populace without the requisite skills and reading abilities.”

As part of efforts in promoting literacy and skills development in Ghana and in the Africa region, Mr Apea said the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) will partner key stakeholders, institutions, Non-Governmental Organisations to aggressively promote literacy and skills development.

“That is part of our core values and responsibilities at the RCS,” he stated.

He cited a partnership agreement between RCS and the Rebecca Foundation, a foundation run by the first lady of Ghana Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo as one of many interventions which is aimed at promoting literacy across schools in Ghana.

“The partnership, will over the next few years, see literacy levels amongst young people rise exponentially.

“As part of the partnership, state of the art libraries will be built across selected areas and will be filled with amazing books,” he said.