It seems there are few well-known professional mathematicians in Africa. It is mainly because of the poor quality of elementary/undergraduate mathematics education in African countries.
Question 1. Is there any math education research which shows the past, current and future status of mathematics and math education in African countries?
Question 2. Is there any charity NGO in EU or US specially for help on improving the quality of math education in African countries at different levels?
This is my personal view of the problem. I think sending NGO's out to Africa is a very very bad idea. It will perpetuate Africa being the undeveloped mess it is and continual subservience to the western world (unless that's the plan of course). If people really want to help, the best first step is to let Africans try their own ideas first.
First, my background: I was a professional mathematician from Africa doing research in Algebra, now working is computational finance.
In my country, the problem is not so much with the education system. The biggest problem, like all problems in Africa, are the powers-that-be. Unfortunately aid to Africa only exacerbates the problem.
The high school education syllabus was first rate, covering a far wider ranger of mathematics than the US syllabus. We had math clubs, magazines etc.. Every year the undergraduate system produced bright math students with potential. I believe my university produced 10 to 15 math honors students, the vast majority who went for higher degrees overseas. Based on my undergrad education I was able to ace US qualifying exams, that's how good the system was. One of the biggest advantages we had was that European and American professors used to visit our university during their summer breaks. I got to meet many great mathematicians that way. Stupidly, the university has now adopted the US calendar just to look "developed".
The biggest problem is this: The people in power want to exploit the everybody, so after doing an undergrad in math the only work available was teaching in rural areas for next to nothing, unless you could get a way out.
My personal belief is that EU and US aid is a very bad thing. It perpetuates the beggar mentality of Africa (unless that's the plan of course). All those scholarships given by the western world are distributed to the politicians' kids. The truly deserving are left with nothing. I saw this personally because I was one of those who tried to get a scholarship and failed for bizarre reasons.
I had really wanted to go back when I finished my PhD. The system there made it not worthwhile. I would become and overworked underpaid professor. so I chose to remain in the US.
The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) aims to create an "African Einstein". AIMS is a network of what are essentially maths universities in Africa, and is a joint venture between, I believe, the University of Stellenbosch, University of Cambridge, University of Cape Town, University of Oxford, University of Paris-Sud, and University of the Western Cape. I quote from their web page,
AIMS is a pan-African center for post-graduate training and research, providing advanced, broadly applicable mathematical skills to talented students recruited from all over Africa.
There used to be money floating around the UK for people to give short courses at the AIMS centers. Also, I know that Heriot Watt University has ties with AIMS. For example, one of their former PhD students is currently doing a postdoc at AIMS Ghana, while I believe there are two current PhD students there who are products of AIMS.
There is a scheme "Mentoring African Research in Mathematics" run by the London Mathematical Society (which is effectively the UK national maths society) and the African Mathematics Millennium Science Initiative.
Some details are here:
http://www.lms.ac.uk/news-entry/02092013-1601/mentoring-african-research-mathematics-marm
The book Mathematics and Science Education in Developing Countries (edited by M. Nagao, J. Rogan, and M. Magno and published by The University of the Philippines Press in 2007) has a few chapters on mathematics education in Africa.
Chapter 7 is entitled "Improving the Teaching of Science and Mathematics in Basic Schools in Ghana: Challenges and Lessons from Technical Cooperation Assistance" (by Kwame Akyeampong and Norihiro Kuroda). From p. 211:
Before reviewing JICA's STM approach and achievements, we shall present briefly some evidence about Ghanaian basic school pupils' performance in science and mathematics to highlight the extent of the problem. Next, we shall present an overview of the curriculum for basic education of mathematics and science teachers in Ghana. Our intention is to highlight the weaknesses in traditional pre-service (PRESET) teacher education programming and the need for strong linkages with in-service education and training (INSET) to change teachers' classroom practices.
Chapter 10 is entitled "Localization Process of Mathematics Education in Post-independence Kenya" (by Takuya Baba). From pp. 276-277:
This chapter describes the beginning stage of an international project co-funded by Kenyan and Japanese governments---Strengthening Mathematics and Science at Secondary Education (SMASSE)---with a focus on problems encountered when attempting to introduce localization. In Kenya, by the year 1998, there were a few scattered initiatives to train secondary teachers to upgrade the quality of teaching. A major concern addressed by the project was that after twelve years of primary and secondary education, students did not understand the basic mathematics necessary to function effectively in society, and that the performance of mathematics in the national examination was low compared to other subjects. The project's aim was to strengthen mathematics and science at the secondary level through the systematic in-service training (INSET) of teachers. Although both mathematics and science are targeted in the project, in this chapter the analysis is limited to mathematics education.
(The book has other chapters that involve South Africa but these are about science education.)
