Addis Ababa/Windhoek – The African Union Commission (AUC), in partnership with the Government of Namibia and UNICEF, officially launched the continental "End Learning Poverty for All in Africa" campaign on Sunday.

In a statement, the AUC explained that the campaign was unveiled during a high-level continental conference focused on "accelerating foundational learning outcomes across Africa," with the initiative aiming to eliminate learning poverty in Africa by 2035.

The campaign calls for:

1. National action plans with high-level political commitment

2. Increased domestic education funding

3. Implementation of scalable, evidence-based interventions to improve basic literacy and numeracy – particularly for children under 10

The launch event in Namibia was attended by:

• Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare

• Education Minister Sanet Steenkamp

• Senior Namibian government officials

• UNICEF representatives

• Development partners

• Civil society organizations

• Education experts

In a keynote speech delivered on behalf of President Nangolo Mbumba, Prime Minister Ngurare emphasized:
"This marks not just Namibia's campaign launch, but our national belief in every child's potential."
The Prime Minister highlighted Namibia's education investments:

• 23% of national budget allocated to education

• 9% of GDP dedicated to the sector

He commended the AU for "placing foundational learning at the heart of Africa's agenda," stressing that "ending learning poverty is achievable when political will translates into action across all societal levels."