This compendium presents a detailed overview of various initiatives across 16 African countries aimed at promoting Competency-Based Approaches (CBA). This is against the realization that African educational systems are strongly aligned to those of Europe’s 19th and 20th century systems in content and design.

The compendium highlights the importance of aligning educational outcomes with current skills required in the labor market, emphasizing the need for a shift from traditional education models to more dynamic, skills-oriented frameworks. The study examines the successful implementation of curriculum-based evaluation in Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa, highlighting lessons for other regions, and addressing colonial-inherited continuities and discontinuities in African educational systems, proposing a holistic lifelong learning approach.

The document brings to light the challenges in education and training, highlighting the need for structural reforms and inclusive education. It emphasizes the role of technology in enhancing learning outcomes and the importance of continuous assessment and feedback mechanisms. It further argues for educational reforms and encourages inter-country cooperation to improve education and training quality in Africa.

The compendium concludes with recommendations for policymakers to scale CBA across the continent, establish national certification frameworks, integrate formal and informal systems, and adopt inclusive education policies.