Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has described education as the foundation of Africa's development, urging young people across the continent to become advocates for expanding access to quality education.

Speaking at the 3rd West Africa Youth Summit in Accra, Akufo-Addo said Africa's social and economic transformation depends on ensuring that every child has the opportunity to receive a quality education.

He said Ghana's Free Senior High School policy was introduced to remove financial barriers that had prevented many young people from accessing secondary education.

According to him, nearly one million young Ghanaians were excluded from secondary education over a decade because of financial constraints, a situation he said threatened the country's long-term development.

Akufo-Addo noted that the policy significantly increased enrolment, particularly among girls and children from disadvantaged backgrounds, by ensuring that access to secondary education was no longer determined by a family's financial circumstances.

He recalled that during his presidency, a woman told him the Free SHS policy had made it difficult to find housemaids because many girls who would otherwise have entered domestic work were now in school. He said the remark reflected the policy's impact.

The former President stressed that although investment in infrastructure such as roads and hospitals is important, education remains the most critical investment for the continent's future.

He urged participants at the summit to champion education in their respective countries, saying an educated population is essential to developing African solutions to African challenges.