Up to one in four young Africans, or about 66 million people, could be enrolled in a form of private education by 2021, the UK's Financial Times newspaper reports (paywall protected).

There has been a surge in private education which is being driven by parent's lack of faith in public education on the continent., the paper adds, quoting a new study.

The study was conducted by Caerus Capital, a Washington based consultancy, whose findings are due to be presented at the African World Economic Forum in Durban, South Africa on Thursday

Critics argue that private education can worsen inequality, reduce expertise in the public sector and, in some cases, provide an inferior education.

Following that logic the predicted trend would clash with one of the key targets of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) aimed at "ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education".

 The report concludes that African governments that block the advance of private education on ideological grounds risk losing out on both finance and expertise.