Below shows why Sherbro Foundation focuses on first and foremost on literacy and education in Sierra Leone. Without literacy, all further development is stymied.
Sierra Leone has a long to go. It ranks 47th out of 52 African countries!
But there’s reason to be optimistic, with many African countries today achieving high rates of literacy. We keep focused on improving literacy in everything we do.
Literacy rates among 52 African countries. Literacy is defined as the ability to read and write at the age of 15 years and above.
| Ranking | Country | Literacy Rate |
| 1 | Zimbabwe | 90.7 |
| 2 | Equatorial Guinea | 87 |
| 3 | South Africa | 86.4 |
| 4 | Kenya | 85.1 |
| 5 | Namibia | 85 |
| 6 | Sao Tome | 84.9 |
| 7 | Lesotho | 84.8 |
| 8 | Mauritius | 84.4 |
| 9 | Congo, DRC | 83.8 |
| 10 | Libya | 82.6 |
| 11 | Swaziland | 81.6 |
| 12 | Botswana | 81.2 |
| 13 | Zambia | 80.6 |
| 14 | Cape Verde | 76.6 |
| 15 | Tunisia | 74.3 |
| 16 | Egypt | 71.4 |
| 17 | Rwanda | 70.4 |
| 18 | Algeria | 69.9 |
| 19 | Tanzania | 69.4 |
| 20 | Madagascar | 68.9 |
| 21 | Nigeria | 68 |
| 22 | Cameroon | 67.9 |
| 23 | Djibouti | 67.9 |
| 24 | Angola | 67.4 |
| 25 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 67.2 |
| 26 | Uganda | 66.8 |
| 27 | Gabon | 63.2 |
| 28 | Malawi | 62.7 |
| 29 | Sudan | 61.1 |
| 30 | Togo | 60.9 |
| 31 | Burundi | 59.3 |
| 32 | Eritrea | 58.6 |
| 33 | Ghana | 57.9 |
| 34 | Liberia | 57.5 |
| 35 | Comoros | 56.5 |
| 36 | Morocco | 52.3 |
| 37 | Mauritania | 51.2 |
| 38 | Cote d’Ivoire | 48.7 |
| 39 | Central African Republic | 48.6 |
| 40 | Mozambique | 47.8 |
| 41 | Mali | 46.4 |
| 42 | Ethiopia | 42.7 |
| 43 | Guinea-Bissau | 42.4 |
| 44 | Gambia, | 40.1 |
| 45 | Senegal | 39.3 |
| 46 | Somalia | 37.8 |
| 47 | Sierra Leone | 35.1 |
| 48 | Benin | 34.7 |
| 49 | Guinea | 29.5 |
| 50 | Niger | 28.7 |
| 51 | Chad | 25.7 |
| 52 | Burkina Faso | 21.8 |
Sherbro Foundation 