Urban-Rural Divide in Human Capital: A Call for Investment in CEMAC’s Underserved Regions

The World Bank report highlights significant regional disparities in human capital across the CEMAC countries, with urban areas outperforming rural regions in education and health indicators. It calls for increased investment in underserved areas and improved data collection to address these inequalities.

The World Bank report analyzes human capital in the CEMAC region, focusing on disparities in education, health, and social services across different countries and regions. The CEMAC (Central African Economic and Monetary Community) countries, including Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic, and the Republic of Congo, show substantial variation in human capital indicators. According to the World Bank and associated research, the Human Capital Index (HCI) for these countries ranges between 0.27 and 0.46, signifying that individuals in these nations achieve only a fraction of their full development potential. The report examines this in detail, breaking down the challenges facing the region, especially in terms of regional inequalities. It notes that human capital development is crucial for fostering long-term growth and reducing poverty, and that significant gaps between urban and rural populations are contributing to this inequality. The data reveals that urban centers generally outperform rural areas in education and health indicators, leading to better outcomes for those in cities. This urban-rural divide presents a critical challenge for policymakers in these countries, who must work to bridge these gaps if they are to realize their development goals.

Cameroon’s Stark Regional Disparities

In Cameroon, the disparity in human capital outcomes is particularly striking. The country's HCI varies significantly from region to region, with scores ranging from as low as 0.31 in the East and North-West regions to as high as 0.46 in the Southwest. The study highlights two distinct geographical groups within the country: the East, North-West, Adamaoua, and Far North regions perform significantly worse in terms of human capital indicators compared to the Centre, North, Littoral, West, South, and South-West regions. This regional divide is further reflected in health and education outcomes. For instance, the expected years of schooling in the Far North region is much lower than in the Coastal and Southwest regions, pointing to a stark educational divide. Moreover, the probability of survival to the age of five is also lower in the less-developed regions, highlighting major health challenges in rural parts of the country.

Chad’s Human Capital: Limited Progress

Similarly, Chad exhibits relatively small regional variations in its human capital outcomes, with most regions scoring between 0.26 and 0.28 on the HCI. However, the report notes that several regions, including Chari-Baguirmi, Kanem, and Lac, stand out for their particularly poor performance in human capital development. Conversely, the capital city of N'Djamena boasts the highest HCI score in the country. Health indicators in Chad reveal that the southern regions of Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Tandjilé, and Mandoul have the lowest probability of children surviving to age five, with rates below 85%. This points to significant health challenges in these areas, which are compounded by limited access to healthcare services. On the educational front, the central regions of Kanem, Sila, Lac, Batha, Ouaddaï, and Wadi Fira have some of the lowest school completion rates, underlining the deep-rooted challenges facing Chad’s education system, particularly in rural areas.

The Central African Republic’s Uniformity in Low Outcomes

In the Central African Republic, the human capital index is more uniform across the country, ranging from 0.28 to 0.30 depending on the region. Region 7 of the capital city Bangui stands out, with a score of 0.37. The number of years of schooling in Bangui is also nearly twice as high as in many other parts of the country, with children in the capital expected to complete 7.9 years of education, compared to just 3.9 years in regions like Basse-Kotto, Haut-Mbomou, and Mbomou. This highlights the stark regional disparities within the country, with the capital city significantly outperforming rural areas in terms of both education and health outcomes. The data suggest that children in rural parts of the Central African Republic face much greater challenges in accessing education and healthcare, which in turn affects their overall development and productivity.

Wide Variations in the Republic of Congo

The Republic of Congo presents a similar picture, with wide variations in human capital outcomes across the country. The report reveals that the HCI ranges from 0.37 in the Likouala and Kouilou regions to 0.47 in Brazzaville and 0.54 in Pointe-Noire. The national average HCI of 0.46 is primarily reflective of the situation in these two main cities. In terms of health indicators, the Sangha region has some of the worst outcomes, with only 63% of children free from stunting, and a probability of survival to age five of just 88%. On the education front, the two main cities of Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville exhibit the greatest gaps between years of schooling achieved and learning-adjusted years of schooling. In Pointe-Noire, for example, the expected years of schooling drop from 12 to just 6.7 when adjusted for learning, while in Brazzaville, they drop from 9.8 to 5.4. This discrepancy highlights the need for significant improvements in education quality, particularly in rural areas where learning outcomes are even lower.

The report concludes by calling for increased investment in under-served areas to reduce regional inequalities. It recommends enhancing the provision of health and education services, particularly in rural regions, and enabling disadvantaged households to access these services through social safety nets. Additionally, it highlights the need for more comprehensive data collection, particularly in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, where gaps in regional data hinder the development of accurate human capital assessments. Addressing these challenges will require targeted policy interventions and sustained investments in human capital development across the CEMAC region.