Maternal Education and Child Mortality in Africa
Research and Policy Impact by Dr Richard Dackam Ngatchou
Overview
Education saves lives.
Dr Richard Dackam Ngatchou's landmark doctoral work at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (1987) and subsequent book Éducation de la mère et la mortalité des enfants en Afrique established, with empirical precision, that a mother's education is one of the most powerful and consistent predictors of child survival in Sub-Saharan Africa.
His findings shaped how governments, donors, and UN agencies link women's literacy, reproductive health, and family planning to national development policy.
The Research
Methodology Highlights
- • Multi-country comparative data using micro-level fertility, health, and education variables
- • Multivariate analysis isolating the impact of maternal schooling on survival, controlling for income, urbanization, and healthcare access
- • Clear policy implication: literacy, decision-making power, and information access reduce mortality independently of household wealth
"La scolarisation des femmes est la vaccination la plus durable contre la mortalité des enfants."
— R.D. Ngatchou
From Research to Policy
Dr Dackam Ngatchou transformed academic evidence into actionable frameworks while serving as UNFPA Representative in Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville, and the DRC.
How the research shaped policy:
Population & Family-Planning Integration
Tied female education goals to reproductive-health and family-planning programs
Advocacy within UNFPA and Government Dialogue
Promoted literacy and youth-education investments as demographic levers
Support for the National Family Planning Programme (PNPF) in DRC
Linked education and fertility decline to economic growth, documented in Bertrand (2022)
Result:
This cross-sector framing redefined "family planning" from a narrow health intervention to a long-term human-capital strategy.
Impact on African Development Policy
From medical to socio-educational approaches to mortality reduction
On girls' schooling, maternal health, and child survival
Adopted in Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, and the DRC
Used in regional training programs for demographers and planners
Frequently Asked Questions
Educated mothers make informed health decisions, access services earlier, and allocate household resources more effectively.
He provided continent-wide quantitative evidence and translated it into national policy through UNFPA programs.
Yes. Across Africa, every additional year of a mother's schooling correlates with significant reductions in under-five mortality and fertility.
Related Publications
Foundational quantitative analysis on education and child mortality
Bridges demographic data with health-policy advocacy