IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/injoed/v121y2026ics0738059325002883.html

Beyond the diploma: The untold consequences of short-cycle tertiary education on GDP growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Mutai, Ronald Kipsang
  • Lu, Jiang
  • Mukami, Nyambura Lydiah
  • Chirwa, William Billy
  • Xiaoguang, Liu
  • Zhiyou, Yao

Abstract

This study critically examines the impact of short-cycle tertiary education on economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the potential challenges that arise despite its growing popularity. Using panel data from 44 sub-Saharan African countries spanning the years 2010–2023, the analysis employed a Fixed Effects regression model to examine the interrelationship between educational attainment, particularly short-cycle tertiary education, government expenditure, and GDP growth. The empirical analysis indicates that while primary and higher education have a positive correlation with GDP growth, short-cycle tertiary education correlates negatively with economic productivity due to its inefficiency in producing skills that do not match labor market demands, consequently limiting its contribution to sustainable economic growth. The combination of government expenditure on education and population growth policies defines educational outcomes and their effects on economic development performance. This paper advocates for a strategic adjustment in education programs, particularly short-cycle tertiary education, which must better align with labor market needs to promote sustainable economic development throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.

Suggested Citation

  • Mutai, Ronald Kipsang & Lu, Jiang & Mukami, Nyambura Lydiah & Chirwa, William Billy & Xiaoguang, Liu & Zhiyou, Yao, 2026. "Beyond the diploma: The untold consequences of short-cycle tertiary education on GDP growth in Sub-Saharan Africa," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:121:y:2026:i:c:s0738059325002883
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103490
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738059325002883
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103490?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:121:y:2026:i:c:s0738059325002883. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-educational-development .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.