The funding, provided through the International Development Association, will support the Ghana Secondary Education Transformation for Access, Relevance, and Results for Jobs Project, aimed at addressing growing pressure on the country’s education system.
The programme comes as Ghana faces rising enrolment following the introduction of free Senior High School and Technical and Vocational Education and Training in 2017, which has strained infrastructure and teacher capacity.
World Bank Division Director for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone Robert Taliercio said the project will address key bottlenecks. “This project will help Ghana tackle some of the most urgent constraints in secondary education by expanding learning spaces, improving quality, and strengthening alignment between education, skills, and jobs,” Taliercio said.
Taliercio said the initiative is expected to benefit about 2.2 million students, including learners with disabilities, across nearly 1 000 public secondary schools, with a focus on underserved communities.
The project includes investment in new classrooms, rehabilitation of existing facilities and upgrades to infrastructure to reduce overcrowding. It will also support improvements in teaching quality, particularly in core subjects, as well as the expansion of digital skills and job-focused training.
Authorities say the reforms will help address challenges linked to the current double-track system, which has created disruptions in learning due to staggered school attendance.
The programme also seeks to improve the alignment between education and labour market needs, particularly in technical and vocational pathways, where many students currently lack practical and transferable skills.
Minister of Education Haruna Iddrisu said the initiative is critical for the country’s long-term development. “This project is a major investment in Ghana’s growing youthful population and will help expand learning opportunities and better align secondary education with the skills demanded by the labour market,” Iddrisu said.
The project will also support reforms in teacher deployment, data systems and accountability mechanisms to strengthen overall system performance.
Ghana’s public secondary schools are projected to face a shortage of more than 850 000 seats by 2040, highlighting the urgency of expanding capacity.
World Bank Senior Education Specialist Eunice Yaa Brimfah Ackwerh said improving skills outcomes is essential for economic growth. “Ghana’s future growth will depend on whether today’s young people leave school with the basic and intermediate skills to succeed in a changing economy,” Ackwerh said.
Ackwerh added that the investment will help equip students for higher education, entrepreneurship and employment.
–WorldBank/ChannelAfrica–
