The paper reviews issues and key elements related to distance education within the sub-Saharan region of Africa, which spans an area of over 24 million square kilometres of land, includes 41 countries and has a population of 190 million people, living in ocean communities, to inland savannahs, heavily populated metropolitan cities to sparsely inhabited jungles. The people of Africa are made up of many cultures, religions, languages and perspectives, it is far from a monoculture and it is difficult to generalize without properly respect for their diversity. 

An attempt is made to sketch out broad themes by using specific examples describing the form and context of the issues related to implementation of that exist in this region. Case studies help to describe the many challenges faced by this region of the world in order to improve overall literacy rates, develop capacity in the teaching profession, and improve standards of living for millions of women, children, and men, while addressing significant effects of HIV/Aidson many societies. And finally, this paper provides some cautionary words about what the future could hold for distance education in the sub-Saharan region of Africa.

The work that is presented here is very brief and is an incomplete picture of a very complex region of the planet. There are many aspects that are not adequately described within the body of this work but I hope it provides you some sense of the challenges that the peoples of the Sub-Saharan Africa face currently, and over the next generation.