This rapid review study investigates capacity development needs and challenges faced by systemlevel leaders and managers within Ghana’s pre-tertiary education sector. Despite recognized capacity development challenges in the education system, research has mainly concentrated on school-level leadership and management. This study fills a gap by investigating the particular capacity needs of educational managers and leaders at the central, regional, and district levels. The research draws upon the concept of capacity development, as defined by UNDP (2009), encompassing five functional capacities: stakeholder engagement, situational assessment, policy and strategy formulation, budgeting and implementation, and evaluation. While acknowledging the importance of capacity development programs, the study recognizes the uncertainty surrounding their effectiveness, particularly for system-level managers in sub-Saharan Africa.

The study highlights the critical role of education in Ghana’s development but acknowledges limitations in existing programs to develop the capacity of leaders and managers in the pre-tertiary sector of the education system. One of our key findings is that existing programs primarily target school-level administrators, neglecting the specific needs of system-level leaders.

The study is part of a larger initiative to map system-level capacity needs and challenges in African education, which will inform the Association for the Development of Education in Africa’s (ADEA’s) future work.