Irish Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond, visiting a school in Liberia, April. (Photo supplied)
Ireland, invited by current G20 president South Africa as a guest at a series of meetings culminating in November’s summit of heads of state, will make education a key point during its participation, its government officials said this week.
The G20, a forum of developing and developed countries whose members account for 85% of the global GDP, primarily aims to foster international economic cooperation and address major global economic issues. South Africa’s theme during its 2025 presidency is solidarity, equality and sustainability.
Ireland is taking the invitation seriously and plans to attend every ministerial meeting held in the run-up to November, officials, including the Irish Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora Neale Richmond, indicated on the sidelines of the Africa Ireland Trade Horzions conference in Dublin.
Richmond also confirmed that Ireland — the most educated nation in the world — will push the importance of education and how it can address major global and economic issues.
Ireland holds the highest percentage for higher-level education attainment for people aged between 25 and 34 years old at 55.1%, according to data from CBRE Research. Its per capita GDP is second only to Luxemburg in the EU, and is double that of the UK.
By contrast, data from Statistics South Africa in 2024 showed that approximately 40% of learners who start grade one in the country drop out before completing their final year of high school.
Richmond said having been a poor nation for much of its history, educating its people had contributed to boosting Ireland’s economy.
“I don’t want to give too much of a history lesson, but it cannot be understated how poor Ireland was. We were a developing country. There’s no dispute about that. We had a massive famine, a civil war; we were a new independent state,” he said.
“Our focus on education started in 1967 when the then Irish minister of education made second-level education free. In 1994, third-level education was made free. We now have officially the most educated population in the world and a workforce of 2.8 million people [out of a population of 5 million].”
The country is tweaking and tailoring its education system to make sure that it is fit for purpose, he added.
“Over the last decade, we have increased the amount of projects coming out of very specific qualifications in areas relating to the life sciences sector and the tech sector. We work hand in hand with third-level institutions and businesses that want to invest in Ireland.”
The life sciences sector — encompassing pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical devices — is a major contributor to the Irish economy, generating over €100 billion in exports annually and directly employing over 100 000 people.
However, Ireland is facing a housing crisis: “We need more people working in those areas, not to just construct the houses that we so desperately need, but also the infrastructure, the water, the roads and the healthcare facilities,” he said.
Statistics show that Ireland’s unemployment rate was 4% as of March. South Africa’s rate stands much higher at 32.9%.
Richmond reiterated that investing in education was crucial to eradicating poverty.
“When we go to G20, the central plank has to be education” to boost the economy and facilitate development, he said.
The journalist’s trip to Ireland was sponsored by the Embassy of Ireland in South Africa.