Book excerpt: Opinions and policies on the development of private education in Sub-Saharan Africa are changing. This book attempts to review existing literature, theories, and concepts related to recent trends in the development and financing of private education in Sub-Saharan countries. Eleven chapters address the following topics: (1) introduction; (2) a retrospective on private education development and financing in Sub-Saharan Africa; (3) looking into the definition of private education; (4) different types of private education in Sub-Saharan Africa; (5) share of private education in total enrollment; (6) private education as an alternative to the provision of public education; (7) private education as a competitor for private and public funds for education; (8) comparative cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness; (9) school choice and parents' attitudes; (10) from theories to present African realities; and (11) the public policy toward private education in Africa. Implications for education-policy research in Sub-Saharan Africa are described. Eight appendices contain an index to Sub-Saharan countries mentioned in the text, selected African countries' examples on private-education development and financing, statistics on private enrollment as percentage of total enrollment, suggested typology of private schools, comparative analysis of advantages and disadvantages of private education as compared to public education, private consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa, relative price of private consumption of education in selected African countries in 1993, and factors determining the volume of tuition fees in profit-making schools. (Contains 127 references.) (RT)