Adult Education As A Pathway For Poverty Reduction: A Systematic Review Of Evidence From Sub-Saharan Africa (2010-2024)

Background: Poverty endures in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), despite decades of development interventions, with over 490 million, still living in extreme basic needs deprivation. Adult education broadly interpreted as functional adult literacy programmes, vocational education and training, community-based education, and non-formal non-vocational learning has been theorised as a direct, low-technological solution, that can facilitate the creation of sustainable livelihoods in SSA, thus breaking the cycle of inter-generational poverty. No systematic review has yet synthesised the totality of the regional evidence on poverty reduction across all three dimensions of outcome- social, economic, and capability empowerment. Objective: The main objective of this review is to systematically synthesise the evidence based on the nature, strength, and causal pathways of adult education intervention towards poverty reduction in SSA from 2010–2024, while identifying contextual programme design features, barriers, and policy processes involved. Methods: PRISMA 2020 guided this systematic review. A search in six electronic databases (academic and grey literature repositories) yielded 1,917 total records, from which 64 studies satisfied the inclusion criteria through robust screening and quality appraisal. Data extraction employed a priori data framework. Synthesis used thematic analysis (Thomas & Harden, 2008). Appraisal of study quality used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Results: 64 diverse, rigorous studies across 18 SSA countries indicate adult education intervention results in positive income and social as well as empowerment outcomes for multiple stakeholders, which follow from seven mechanisms: human capital enhancement, capability increase, diversification of livelihoods, gender equity and empowerment, breaking the cycle of inter-generational poverty, strengthening community resilience, and adapting to a changing environment. Non-formal adult education benefits each additional year of education by 10.6%, similar to returns found in high-income economies. Multi-skill programmes that combine literacy, life skills, and income generation interventions have the largest average effects. Barriers that impede effects include opportunity cost, structural exclusion from the labour market, institutional short-term goals, and political interference. Conclusions: Adult education is a potent, prevailing, and research-supported approach for sustainable poverty alleviation in SSA, when delivered through multi-skill, community owned, women-centered, longer term, and institutionally-enabling paradigms.