Across Sub-Saharan Africa, 28 million young women are out of school and disconnected from digital skills and employment.
Nearly 100% of digital training programs are delivered exclusively in Western languages and at the university level. As a result, 28 million young women aged 15 to 24—who are illiterate or lack formal education—are excluded from Africa’s digital transformation and the economic opportunities it creates.
28M
Out-of-school
young women in
Sub-Saharan Africa
60%
of young women who do not complete lower secondary education
100K
young women who are out of school in the Pikine department of Senegal
Why Millions of young women drop out of school
School dropout is generally used to describe leaving the education system at the primary or secondary level. It is understood as a gradual process through which a young girl progressively disengages from school and ultimately leaves it.
According to Quentin Wodon, in an article published on August 1, 2018, nine out of ten girls worldwide complete primary school, but only three out of four finish the first cycle of secondary education.
However, in low-income countries, including most African countries, fewer than two-thirds of girls complete primary education, and only one in three reaches the end of lower secondary school. As a result, girls remain largely marginalized in education policies and outcomes.
Poverty-driven factors behind school dropout
A study conducted by Plan International, titled “Causes and Consequences of Discrimination Against Girls in Education,” highlights the high proportion of illiterate women resulting from lack of access to schooling or school dropout over multiple years, often compounded by a range of challenges—academic, personal, family-related, and financial.
This situation is particularly acute in Africa. Despite the ratification of international conventions and the implementation of policies aimed at keeping girls in school, only 40% of girls enrolled complete the first cycle of secondary education. The main barriers to girls’ education in Sub-Saharan Africa remain deep-rooted cultural norms and persistent poverty, including forced early marriage and child labor.