ESSA's 2024/25 Annual Report is Out
To everyone who has an interest in ESSA and the work that we do, thank you.
As I reflect on 2025 and how much we have all achieved together, I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude and, despite all that has been achieved, a feeling that there remains so much more to do.
It has been a landmark year for ESSA. One of considerable growth, in tangible impact, in developing our capabilities and in building resilience. Despite global funding pressures and a challenging economic landscape, our team and partners have delivered at pace, ensuring that African-generated evidence is increasingly shaping policies, practices and programmes that improve teaching, learning, and opportunities for young people across the continent.
This year, ESSA supported the establishment of the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) in partnership with VVOB, the consortium lead, and the Mastercard Foundation. As the ACSL research partner, ESSA contributed to expanding African education research and leadership. We also jointly awarded 31 early childhood research grants worth up to USD 15,000 each across ten African countries, empowering African researchers to develop solutions that are deeply rooted in local contexts.
From convening hundreds of educators, policymakers, and researchers in collaborative workshops, to influencing Ghana’s teacher motivation strategy and contributing to the development of harmonised guidelines for university data collection in the East African Community, 2025 was a year of turning knowledge and evidence into action and strengthening education systems across Africa.
Our work this year reaffirmed a central belief: when African researchers are supported and their voices amplified, they generate evidence and influence that power change for good in education systems. Researchers such as Dr Philomena Chepsiror from Kenya demonstrate this in practice. Her study on play-based learning in Kakuma Refugee Camp shows how contextually grounded research can strengthen the psychosocial and cognitive development of children aged 0–8. Her work has informed more inclusive early childhood practices and influenced education responses for vulnerable learners. Stories like hers remind us why ESSA exists: to ensure that African talent drives African solutions.
That principle also enabled ESSA to have a smooth transition in leadership from Dr Lucy Heady to Dr Pauline Essah. Lucy has made a tremendous contribution to ESSA, not least in her selfless development of the team. Pauline has stepped confidently into the role of CEO, with the humility, deep knowledge, vision, clarity, and commitment needed to take ESSA to the next stage in our development. She is well supported by a dedicated board and an agile, talented team. This transition reflects the strength and maturity of ESSA, positioning us to seize new opportunities, deepen our African-led research footprint, and drive meaningful change across education systems in the years ahead.
Looking ahead to our 10th anniversary in 2026, our ambition grows. We are committed to innovating boldly, expanding our work in Francophone African countries, and building lasting influential networks of African researchers and leaders. Even amid a challenging funding environment, our values: Evidence-based, Solutions-focused, Strengthening Trust, and Always Learning, will guide every initiative we pursue.
None of these achievements would have been possible without you. To our partners, funders, researchers, trustees, advisory board members, staff, and supporters, your collaboration, dedication, and belief in our mission have made 2025 a year of real progress. As we step into this next chapter, I invite you to continue walking with us: investing in research and building evidence, amplifying African voices, and shaping an education future that is evidence-driven, equitable, and transformative for Africa and the world.
With deep appreciation,
Patrick Dunne OBE
Chair, ESSA
Read the full report and join us in strengthening education systems across Africa.
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