The Ghanaian Ministry of Education has secured US$80 million from philanthropic, private, and multilateral partners to improve access to education for all school children nationwide.
Combined with an additional US$38.8 million from the Early Learning Partnership Multi-Donor Trust and GPE, the funding will aim to drive improvements in foundational learning, including raising basic literacy and numeracy rates amongst primary-level school children and supporting their emotional and social wellbeing.
SCALE was created to support lasting improvements across Ghana’s education system by embedding local leadership, data-driven decision-making, and a holistic focus on children’s learning and wellbeing. In addition to expanding GALOP, it introduces new structures, such as Ghana Education Evidence and Data Lab (GEEDLab) and the Communities of Excellence, to effect lasting, system-wide change.
A consortium of over 10 philanthropic and private partners – known as SCALE – raised US$40 million to support the expansion of GALOP, Ghana’s flagship education program. GPE matched the consortium’s funding by providing a further US$40 million.
The US$80 million—the largest amount ever raised for education amongst philanthropies and private companies—forms part of an additional financing mechanism for GALOP, which totals US$118.8 million, and will be administered by the World Bank as the Grant Agent.
Since 2020, GALOP has successfully invested US$218.7 million in targeted districts in Ghana. Over the next four years, this new tranche of funding will increase the total number of schools that are set to benefit from 10,000 to 16,000, plus a further 14,700 kindergartens.
Funds will support targeted, evidence-based interventions that will improve learning resources, teaching quality, and strengthen governance structures. These interventions will transform the approach to local schooling, sub-national planning, and national policymaking across Ghana to improve children’s learning.
Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education, Republic of Ghana, said: “This is an opportunity for us. With a shared vision, a shared partnership, and a shared innovative financing for education. And it could not have been done at a better time.” He continued by saying, “Ghana has every reason to celebrate the impact made under the investment of GALOP, and SCALE is an extension of this.”
SCALE’s ambition is to reform how education is structured and delivered, offering a powerful model for how education systems can be changed to improve access to quality education. This means creating environments where children can thrive by improving the use of evidence and having a child-focused approach.
SCALE’s funding will help the Ministry serve local learning needs and strengthen practices that prioritize children’s emotional and social well-being. SCALE and the programs it will support, including the locally-driven Communities of Excellence initiative, were informed by a consultation process, including with young people to ensure their needs remain central to the Ministry’s ongoing education work.
In Ghana, access to education is closely linked to broader child wellbeing. Evidence suggests that child labor rates are 8% lower in communities with a primary school.
By extending teaching and learning materials nationwide, SCALE aims not only to improve learning outcomes but also to help reduce child labor and keep children in school. Alongside investments in play-based learning, more qualified teachers, and school infrastructure, SCALE will also establish a GEEDLab within the Ministry of Education.
Run by the Ministry’s Statistics, Research & Information Management Division (SRIM), GEEDLab will serve as a hub for research and policy analysis and strengthen the Ministry’s capacity to support national learning goals.
SCALE’s funding for GALOP comes at a critical time for education globally. A near US$100 billion financing gap faces developing education systems annually, with the world currently off course to reach the Sustainable Development Goal for Quality Education (SDG 4) by the United Nations’ deadline of 2030.
Led by the SCALE funders, including the Jacobs Foundation, Fondation Botnar, UBS Optimus Foundation, and several cocoa and chocolate companies operating in Ghana, SCALE reflects a growing opportunity for cross-sector co-financing.
This approach—pooling resources across philanthropy, business, and development partners—can help ensure that critical education goals and targets are not missed.
Commenting on SCALE, Laura Frigenti, CEO, Global Partnership for Education, said: “To meet the scale of today’s education challenges, bringing together governments, the private sector, and philanthropy is essential. What we’re seeing in Ghana is a glimpse of what’s possible when we align financing with purpose. As GPE enters its next replenishment, we are focused on building the partnerships – and the ambition – needed to drive systemic change.”
Amid aid cuts and freezes by some of the world’s largest donors, collaborative financing models that prioritize proven education solutions are gaining traction.
The Fortaleza Declaration, the latest global commitment to education by world leaders, recognizes the pressure on low-income countries, especially in Africa, where debt payments often exceed education expenditure. This limits their ability to use rigorous evidence and invest in best practices for their education systems.
SCALE offers a way forward: an innovative financing model to implement multiple interventions across the education system, in partnership with communities and district and national officials, to improve learning for all children.
Simon Sommer, Co-CEO, Jacobs Foundation, said: “Besides the financial commitment, the SCALE partnership offers the expertise of a broad range of organizations who have helped to transform the way in which evidence is applied to education. SCALE will build on the successes of other international models, including the Jacobs Foundation-led Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF) in Côte d’Ivoire, which has been recognized by the World Bank. In Ghana, we expect 2 million children to benefit from evidence-based learning that will extend across 100 cocoa districts.”
Tom Hall, CEO, UBS Optimus Foundation, added: “We firmly believe that one of the most effective ways to give with maximum impact is collectively. Greater coordination boosts efficiency—by avoiding duplication, streamlining processes, and leveraging each partner’s unique strengths and flexibility. Together, we can overcome the limitations of working in silos and support a program that addresses multiple root causes at once.”
Andrea Studer, CEO, Fondation Botnar, also said: “At Fondation Botnar, we believe education systems must help young people thrive together in a changing world. This means going beyond academics to support their holistic development, including wellbeing and essential life skills like empathy, resilience, and critical thinking. SCALE reflects this ambition by prioritizing social and emotional learning, strengthening local systems, and grounding action in evidence.”
A commemorative partnership signing event took place yesterday at the Embassy of Switzerland in Accra, Ghana, in the presence of Hon. Haruna Iddrisu and Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Simone Giger.
