Despite the critical role secondary education is expected to play in society, many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are struggling to institute competitive secondary education systems. Few countries have viable mechanisms for recruiting able secondary leavers to secondary teaching, and lack coherent strategies for retaining and retraining those who join secondary school teaching. Yet the success of Education for All and increased participation at the primary level in many countries has resulted in an enormous demand for wider access to better quality secondary education. The quality of teachers in such a situation assumes greater importance, as changing needs place greater pressures on teachers such as having to deal with the challenge of large classes and learners of different characteristics. Teachers would need to be supported more than ever before, raising the need to step up the continuing professional development of teachers, which is an often neglected aspect of secondary education in Sub-Saharan Africa.