The Impact Of Foundational Learning On Africa’s Future Workforce

Room to Read, on a mission to tackle illiteracy and gender inequality, is working to ensure that all children have the resources to read, learn and grow–in turn, creating lasting change. 

An influx of investments within and outside the continent as well as the development of Africa’s creative economy, and business spheres, have brought foundational learning skills to the fore. 

Room to Read–an organization which aims to nurture these skills in the youth–has placed particular focus on this. Founded in 2000, and first operating in Nepal, its programs have benefited 60 million children across 29 countries. 

Chief Executive Officer, Dr Geetha Murali, who has been part of the organization for about 17 years and at the helm for the last eight, emphasizes that, in addition to the importance of providing reading material for Africa’s youth, it also necessary to create programs that are inclusive and sustainable.

Around 90% of its employees are based in the communities they serve and, per the organization, $1 billion has been invested into improving foundational learning for children around the world. Operations on the continent are ongoing in South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Malawi and Nigeria.  

“When a third of the youth population will be on the continent in the next few decades; when you have impact of the future workforce coming from across Africa, as a skill-building organization, it behooves us to be able to do more, and more quickly,” Murali tells FORBES AFRICA.

“If you look at that pathway between credentialing and livelihoods, there are multiple points along that arc–foundational learning, life skills, so that children, when graduating even if they have the functional competencies, need to have the skills that are marketable, like advocating for yourself and being able to interview, and communicate your opinions.” 

Murali adds that these skills become important to making good decisions about one’s future trajectory however, without foundational learning, “the rest becomes very hard”. 

“If you don’t have the supply side, you’re not going to be able to meet the demand side. We’ve launched a board in Africa. We’re working very closely with the private sector to understand those connections and make sure that we’re preparing these young people to take on employment opportunities,” she explains. 

“On the continent, you are seeing all of these various pieces of business and the platforms that are needed to support them, coming into place. We’re working very hard on original and adapted book titles; have already published 1,110 titles in 20 African languages  benefited 25,000 schools.” 

According to a report jointly published in 2025 by UNESCO, UNICEF and the African Union, titled Transforming learning and skills development in Africa, while 75 million more children on the continent are currently enrolled in school, compared to 2015, the number of out-of-school children increased by 13.2 million to over 100 million during the same period. 

“What, I think, is unique about Room to Read is that the programming evolved from community needs,” says Murali. 

“Now you have comprehensive programs–focused on early grade reading that includes the provision of materials and curriculum in local languages, that’s aligned with the government’s focus areas; the establishment of libraries so children can develop the habit of reading and read for pleasure; the teacher coaching that’s needed to support those efforts; and the research and insights that help us make that program continuously stronger.” 

Room to Read, which focuses on literacy, gender equality and organizational insights, has also indicated that African countries being considered for expansion include Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Zimbabwe. 

“We are incredibly conscious that these challenges are much bigger than any one organization, and the only way, frankly, to address them in a sustainable way is through aligned partners who are committed to the same goal. We look at partnership through that lens,” Murali says. 

She expands on the concept of partnerships, adding: “If you look at South Korea or Singapore or Vietnam, there was always an initial and very large investment in foundational learning, on top of which additional industrial policies made more sense.  

“On the continent, you’re seeing many of the governments recognize this; understand this. We’re working with each government in the countries where we operate, to look at where there may be opportunities to leverage our core competencies to help accelerate those learning outcomes.”