Despite a constrained economic context, Burundi has chosen to invest in its youth and its future. Over the past five years, the country has spent one quarter of its budget (excluding debt servic) and one third of its recurrent expenditure on education and training, well above the average for sub-Saharan Africa. However, in 2018, school life expectancy in Burundi (7.4 years) was lower than in neighbouring countries (8.1 years), and also recorded an exceptionally high grade-retention rate.

Despite the federal government’s commitment to provide compulsory basic education to the children of Nigeria, economic and social factors combined with security issues in parts of the country, have reduced its ability to offer all young people the same quality of learning denting the impacts of the commitment.