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Press Release – 5th ACE Impact Regional Workshop to hold virtually from May 24th -28th, 2021

For immediate release

PRESS RELEASE

Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence for Development Impact (ACE Impact) Project ensures sustainable growth and competitiveness by improving the quality, quantity and access of postgraduate education

5th ACE Impact Regional Workshop to hold virtually from May 24th -28th, 2021

Accra, Ghana (May 5th, 2021) – The Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence for Development Impact (ACE Impact) will be organizing its 5th biannual Regional Workshop from May 24th – 28th, 2021. Fifty-three (53) Centres of Excellence and key stakeholders, including government representatives from participating countries, Vice Chancellors, representatives from the higher education sector, the private sector, policy think tanks, and partners such as the World Bank, the French Development Agency and the Association of African Universities are expected to participate in this meeting.

As an engine for producing quality postgraduate training and applied research to ensure inclusive growth and sustainable development in Africa, the ACE Impact project is convening its stakeholders to review activities and progress made towards achieving its overarching goal – improving the quality, quantity, and development impact of postgraduate education in Africa.

The meeting will also afford the Centers of Excellence the opportunity to share experiences, build networks, and forge partnerships to ensure the successful implementation and sustainability of the project.

Broadly, the workshop’s programme will feature:
1. Overall progress registered in the implementation of ACE Impact and key priority areas.
2. Highlights on the digital education network project, which seeks to exploit the advances in digital technologies for education towards the transformation of teaching practices for the benefit of students.
3. Inter ACE Impact networking initiatives.
4. ACE Impact project’s engagement with the Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET), an initiative launched by African governments (with facilitation by the World Bank).
5. Parallel sessions on monitoring and evaluation, financial management, procurement and safeguards, as well as a special session for Vice-Chancellors whose institutions are involved in the project.
6. Learning and research outputs presentations by students undertaking innovative and transformational research at ACE Impact Centers.

The meeting will also focus on the key next steps for each country, institution, and center in implementing the project plans, and provide guidance to the centers to better meet the requirement and targets for disbursement, fiduciary, and safeguards.

The ACE impact project invites all key stakeholders to actively participate in this workshop and support the project, as it remains committed to pursuing its broad target of strengthening postgraduate training and applied research for Africa’s economic transformation.

– END –

Note to Editors
For further information, kindly contact Mrs. Felicia Kuagbedzi via email fnkrumah@aau.org

Background information:
The Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) Project is a World Bank initiative in collaboration with governments of participating countries to support Higher Education institutions in specializing in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Agriculture, and Health. It is the first World Bank project aimed at the capacity building of higher education institutions in Africa. The first phase (ACE I) was launched in 2014 with 22 Centres of Excellence in Nine (9) West and Central African countries; Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. The Project aims to promote regional specialization among participating universities in areas that address specific common regional development challenges. It also aims to strengthen the capacities of these universities to deliver high quality training and applied research as well as meet the demand for skills required for Africa’s development. The second phase (ACE II) was launched in East and Southern Africa with 24 centers across Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Based on the initial successes, the World Bank and the French Development Agency (AFD) in collaboration with the African governments, launched the ACE Impact Project in 2018 to strengthen post-graduate training and applied research in existing fields and support new fields that are essential for Africa’s economic growth. There are 43 ACEs (25 new ones and 18 from ACE I); 5 Emerging Centers;1 “top up” center in Social Risk Management; and 5 Colleges and
Schools of Engineering. The new areas include sustainable cities; sustainable power and energy; social sciences and education; transport; population health and policy; herbal medicine development and regulatory sciences; public health; applied informatics and communication; and pastoral production.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE ORGANISERS
• About the Association of African Universities (AAU). The Association of African Universities is an international non-profit, non-governmental organization created by African Universities to promote cooperation among them on the one hand, and between them and the international academic community on the other. Created in 1967, the AAU is the voice of higher education in Africa. AAU aims to improve the quality of African higher education, and to strengthen its contribution to Africa’s development by supporting the core functions of higher education institutions and facilitating critical reflection and consensus building on issues affecting higher education in Africa. The AAU is the Regional Facilitation Unit of the Africa Centres of Excellence project.

• About the World Bank Group. The World Bank Group is a multilateral development institution that works to reduce poverty. Its subsidiary IDA (International Development Association) finances the Africa Centres of Excellence series of projects. Established in 1960, IDA helps the world’s poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 75 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.5 billion people who live in IDA countries. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 113 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $18 billion over the last three years, with about 54 percent going to Africa.

• About the French Development Agency. For more than 75 years, the French Development Agency (AFD) has been fighting global poverty by supporting policies and investments that benefit the poorest populations. Strengthening the social link between individuals, groups and territories is now at the heart of its actions in education, health, employment, urban planning, climate or biodiversity. For AFD, balanced development requires a real reduction in inequalities.

ACEs meet to Strengthen their Capacities to Deliver Quality Post-Graduate Training and Applied Research

The Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE I) and Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence for Development Impact (ACE Impact) projects will be holding a biannual meeting in Dakar, Senegal from September 23-27, 2019. With support from the Ministry of Higher Education in Senegal, the World Bank and its partners (Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Association of African Universities (AAU)) launches the eleventh ACE I and second for the ACE Impact projects.

The meeting brings together several actors of the higher education sector, including, Vice Chancellors and academics from institutions hosting the Centers, government representatives from the participating ACE1 and ACE Impact Countries, the private sector, industry players and policy think tanks. The overarching goal is to create a platform for the Centers to gain knowledge relevant to the implementation of the projects, exchange information on their respective programs, build networks and forge partnerships to ensure the successful implementation and realization of the project’s objectives.

Click to read Press Release in English

(New Dates) Strengthening the delivery of post-graduate Education in African Universities

Workshop on Innovations in Teaching and Learning

Strengthening the delivery of post-graduate Education in African Universities

Hosted by AquaFish ACE LUANAR & AAU

19-23 November 2018, Lilongwe, Malawi

NEW DATES: 4-8 FEBRUARY 2019

Registration Link: https://www.research.net/r/AquaFish

Background

Teaching if done properly results in “quality” academic outputs, that is, the graduates and research. The indicators of quality graduates include ability to conduct research, possessing critical thinking skills, ability to facilitate multi-stakeholder engagements, having entrepreneurial skills, ability to make presentations, exhibiting good written and verbal communication skills, having confidence, displaying life-long learning skills and having the ability to synthesize key information, among several other indicators. African Higher Education institutions continue to be challenged to produce graduates that can solve problems and contribute to the development of their countries. This therefore implies that universities must review how they teach and reflect on how their students learn effectively.

Examples of Innovative teaching and learning methods

Confucius, a Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher is quoted as having said “I hear and I forget. I see and I believe. I do and I understand”. This statement links very well with the concept of being innovative in teaching. Clearly innovative methods of teaching and learning require a total mindset change in terms of the roles of the professors and the learners. The innovative methods also allow the learning to be two-way. These new ways facilitate practical exposure for students, experiential learning and role-based learning. The new learning solutions and methods thus become student centered with the objective of producing that “quality graduate”. Some examples of innovative teaching and learning methods include:

  1. Flipped Classroom
  2. Role-based learning
  3. Internships in relevant industries and corporate organizations
  4. Problem Solving linked to real Community Engagements
  5. Twinning programs to promote cross-learning
  6. Regional seminars to facilitate sharing of expertise
  7. Case based learning for fields such as medicine and health
  8. Problem based learning
  9. Group work assignments
  10. Field Visits
  11. Technology-assisted learning (mobile, learning management systems, multimedia technologies, etc)

Excellence in Education and Research Capacity and Development Impact

The Disbursement Linked Indicator 2 (DLI 2) under the Africa Centers of Excellence project places emphasis on “excellence in education and research capacity and development impact”. The sub-indicators further expound on “improved teaching and learning environment as per approved proposal”.  The DLI document states that the “implementation plan for each ACE will clearly describe 4 annual main milestones for improving of teaching and learning environment based upon the specific activities to be undertaken by the ACE”. Besides `the creation of conducive physical learning environments through constructing classrooms and equipping of laboratories it is important for the ACEs to articulate how else they are strengthening their teaching delivery methods so that they produce quality graduates.

About the proposed workshop

The Association of African Universities and AquaFish ACE hosted by Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources will deliver a five-day workshop on ‘Innovations in Teaching and Learning’ to spark discussions and understanding how AquaFish ACE is implementing innovative teaching methods and what else they could be doing to improve in this area. The key objectives of the workshop will be to:

  1. Discuss key concepts and case studies on innovative teaching and learning methods
  2. Deliberate on the challenges and opportunities associated with supervising graduate students
  3. Exploring the use of technology to improve teaching delivery methods in African Universities
  4. Participate in learning visits to institutions in Lilongwe that have begun implementing innovative methods of teaching and learning

Draft Program

DAY PROPOSED ACTIVITIES
DAY 1
  1. A broad presentation that lays the ground on key concepts around innovative teaching and learning methods and practices
  2. Hold a brainstorming session in small groups:
    • to discuss why teaching methods need to be reviewed and what to change? This is meant to help in identifying major deficiencies in current higher education delivery by African Universities. This will also discuss the question of “are students graduating from the African Universities adequately trained to respond to the needs of the society?”
    • to discuss the ‘How’ question and share ideas – and suggest proposals to correct the identified deficiencies.
  3. Role play the practical implementation of Experiential Learning
DAY 2
  1. Challenges and Opportunities associated with Supervising Graduate Students in African Universities – (what is quality supervision, students’ expectations, supervisor expectations)
  2. Importance of the student-supervisor relationship and the various factors that influence it.
  3. Strategies to overcome the challenges of a range of supervisory contexts
  4. Developing resources for effective research supervision practices
DAY 3
  1. A presentation on how selected universities in Africa are exploring with technology to improve their teaching delivery methods – e.g. mobile learning, use of learning management systems, etc
  2. Foundational Theories: Review of Relevant Concepts
  3. Principles of E-learning Course Design & Development
  4. Experiential Learning Visit to an institution in Lilongwe that has done well in implementing e-learning
DAY 4

Hands On Sessions : Course / Learning Management Systems
DAY 5

Experiential Learning Visit to an institution in Lilongwe that has done well in implementing e-learning

How To Register

Registration Link: https://www.research.net/r/AquaFish

What are the deadlines?
• Early round registration deadline: 31 December, 2018
• Regular registration deadline: 21 January, 2019
• Late registration: Dependent on space

Workshop Fees– include Workshop Tuition, Workshop Materials, Refreshments and Certificates

  1. USD 500 for staff from AAU Member Institutions
  2. USD 600 for staff from non-AAU Member Institutions
  3. Participants from Malawi must consult the AquaFish ACE for details on their participation Fees (Email: jkangombe@luanar.ac.mw)

Contact Details

Association of African Universities: Miss Edith LAARI: elaari@aau.org

AquaFish ACE: Professor Jeremiah KANG’OMBE:  jkangombe@luanar.ac.mw

Download the Workshop flyer: AquaFish-Continental Flyer 

 

Certificate Workshop: Data Ethics and Skills for Reproduction of Research Findings Using Stata

AAU invites you to its Research Transparency and Reproducibility Training workshop titled Data Ethics and Skills for Reproduction of Research Findings Using Stata in Accra – Ghana, 7th – 10th August, 2018.

The Workshop Concept Note can be Downloaded From Here

The four days training workshop aims at empowering the next generation of African researchers with the appropriate skills and ethics to conduct transparent and reproducible research.

Participants will be introduced to the data landscape of Africa; emerging issues with raw data; best practices for data and code management; and using STATA to validate, analysis and replicate variables.

The core objectives of the workshop is to;

  1. Sensitize participant on various academic research misconducts (ethical issues) as well as the lack of sharing and openness in research.
  2. Expose participants to best practices for research Reproducibility, Replicability and Reanalysis (Pre-registration, Pre-Analysis Plan, Data sharing and the construction of a reproducible and transparent workflow).
  3. Equip participants with the requisite competence in data and code management using STATA as a tool.
  4. Provide participants with the necessary introductory toolset to enable them to carry out efficient data analysis in STATA.

Target Audience

This workshop is invaluable to researchers, academics, postgraduate students, policy makers and staff of statistical institutions (working in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Public Health, Medicine, Social and Political Sciences, Business Studies, Marketing and Management, Economics and Statistics) wishing to use Stata for applied statistical analysis, and data management.

Prerequisites

  1. Familiarity with computers and a working knowledge of English is required. The workshop does not require any specialized knowledge in programming.
  2. To maximize the usefulness of this course, we strongly recommend that participants bring their own laptops with them, to enable them to actively participate in the practical sessions.

Date and Venue

The workshop will take place on: 7th – 10th August, 2018 at the AAU secretariat, Accra – Ghana.

Fees and Registration

  • Students*: $ 200
  • AAU Member Institutions: $ 350
  • Non-member Institutions, Non-Profit/Public, Research Centres: $ 400

*To be eligible for student prices, participants must provide proof of their full-time student status for the current academic year.

Course fees cover: course materials (handouts, Stata do files and datasets to be used during the workshop), a temporary licence of Stata valid for 30 days from the beginning of the course, lunch and coffee breaks.

Participants will be responsible for their own accommodation and travel-related costs, such as flights.

Registration Process

Individuals interested in attending the training workshop, must complete an online registration forms https://www.research.net/r/YJYHS69 by – 30th July, 2018.

The number of participants is limited to 30. Places, will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis. The course will be officially confirmed, when at least 15 individuals are enrolled.

Principal Facilitator:

Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim – Director of the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC)

Useful Texts:

  • Annim, S. K. (2018). Reproducibility of statistical data, academic publications and policy implications: Evidence from Ghana. Data in Brief, 18, 1298–1312
  • The Best Practices for Data and Code Management Manual, Innovations for Poverty Action.
  • A Gentle Introduction to Stata, 5th Ed. Stata Press 2016, (Alan Acock)

Contact Information:

Registration, logistics (accommodation reservation) and visas: Samuel Nyarko Agyapong – sagyapong@aau.org; CC:  Ms Nodumo Dhlamini – ndhlamini@aau.org.

Further details regarding our payment procedure can be found at: https://blog.aau.org/our-bank-details/

Coding Skills for Everyone

TITLE OF THE WORKSHOP – Coding Skills for Everyone

AIM
Introduce participants to the world of computing and programming. Participants will be taught what is meant by programming, and be able to solve basic problems using an interactive system which helps them to learn how to code.

OBJECTIVES

  1. Improve participant’s digital literacy
  2. Discuss the growth of technology over the last decades
  3. Impart knowledge on the benefits of learning Computer Science
  4. Impart knowledge on the benefits that coding has in any career field
  5. Educate participants on career options available when one learns how to code
  6. Discuss how most computer applications work.
  7. Equip participants with problem solving skills so they can introduce social change effectively.

TARGET AUDIENCE

  • High school students
  • People 13 years and older

DATES

Wednesday 15th – Thursday 16th August, 2018

VENUE
Association of African Universities Secretariat,
Trinity Avenue, East Legon
Accra, Ghana

REGISTRATION FEES
GHS 100

FACILITATORS
Ms Georgina Diana Maison
Mr Frank Asefuah

REGISTRATION LINK
https://www.research.net/r/MBMWTPN

Maiden Joint ACE I and ACE II Project Workshop

The joint ACE I and ACE II project workshop was officially opened on the 7th November 2017 at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra, Ghana, by the Honourable Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh (Minister of Education, Republic of Ghana).

Mr Henry Kerali (World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia) also graced the occasion and emphasized the World Bank’s commitment to African Higher Education.

Other dignitaries present included Professor Etienne Ehouan Ehile (AAU Secretary General), Mr Badara A. Joof (Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology from The Gambia), Mr Andreas Blom (Regional Team Lead, World Bank), Ms Xiaoyan Liang (Lead, Education Specialist, World Bank, ACE II), Dr. Eugene Mutimura (Project Coordinator ACE II, Inter-University Council for East Africa) and Prof Jonathan Mba (Project Coordinator ACE I, Association of African Universities).

The workshop brings together (for the first time) all the 46 Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence for project review and learning from each other’s experiences. The ACE I Project involves 22 Universities from West and Central Africa, and the Regional Facilitating Unit is the Association of African Universities. The ACE II Project involves 24 Universities from East and Southern Africa and its Regional Facilitating Unit is the Inter-University Council for East Africa.

Over 350 participants from the following 22 countries are participating in this meeting – Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, United States of America, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

  1. Please view the pictures from day one of the Joint ACE I / ACE II Workshop: https://www.flickr.com/photos/134073620@N02/sets/72157666026020169
  2. Please download the presentations delivered during the plenary session for day one of the Joint ACE I / ACE II Workshop: https://ace.aau.org/workshop-presentations/
  3. You can read more information about the ACE I Project from this link: https://ace.aau.org/
  4. You can read more information about the ACE II Project from this link: https://ace2.iucea.org/

 

The joint ACE I and ACE II project workshop will end on the 9th of November 2017

Maiden Joint ACE I and ACE II Project Workshop

The joint ACE I and ACE II project workshop was officially opened on the 7th November 2017 at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra, Ghana, by the Honourable Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh (Minister of Education, Republic of Ghana).

Mr Henry Kerali (World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia) also graced the occasion and emphasized the World Bank’s commitment to African Higher Education.

Other dignitaries present included Professor Etienne Ehouan Ehile (AAU Secretary General), Mr Badara A. Joof (Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology from The Gambia), Mr Andreas Blom (Regional Team Lead, World Bank), Ms Xiaoyan Liang (Lead, Education Specialist, World Bank, ACE II), Dr. Eugene Mutimura (Project Coordinator ACE II, Inter-University Council for East Africa) and Prof Jonathan Mba (Project Coordinator ACE I, Association of African Universities).

The workshop brings together (for the first time) all the 46 Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence for project review and learning from each other’s experiences. The ACE I Project involves 22 Universities from West and Central Africa, and the Regional Facilitating Unit is the Association of African Universities. The ACE II Project involves 24 Universities from East and Southern Africa and its Regional Facilitating Unit is the Inter-University Council for East Africa.

Over 350 participants from the following 22 countries are participating in this meeting – Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, United States of America, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

  1. Please view the pictures from day one of the Joint ACE I / ACE II Workshop: https://www.flickr.com/photos/134073620@N02/sets/72157666026020169
  2. Please download the presentations delivered during the plenary session for day one of the Joint ACE I / ACE II Workshop: https://ace.aau.org/workshop-presentations/
  3. You can read more information about the ACE I Project from this link: https://ace.aau.org/
  4. You can read more information about the ACE II Project from this link: https://ace2.iucea.org/

 

The joint ACE I and ACE II project workshop will end on the 9th of November 2017

Joint ACE I & ACE II Project Workshop of the World Bank Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) Project| Accra, Ghana| November 7-10, 2017

The Association of African Universities (AAU), and the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), will host the 1st Joint ACE I & ACE II Project Workshop of the World Bank Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence Project.

This is scheduled to take place at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in  Accra, Ghana, from 7th – 9th November, 2017.  The Meetings of the Project Steering Committee (ACE I) and the Regional Steering Committee (ACE II) will take place on Friday, 10th November, 2017 after the Joint Project Workshop.

This is an important workshop where ACE I and ACE II members will learn and share experiences with each other, and network for mutual benefit mainly on verification of Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs), disbursement process, international accreditation and overall ACE project activities.

ACE I is made up of countries in West and Central Africa (Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo and The Gambia) whiles ACE II is made up of countries in Eastern and Southern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia).

The Association of African Universities (AAU) is the ACE I Regional Facilitation Unit (RFU) and the  National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), is the regulatory body for the ACEs in Ghana.

Joint ACE I & ACE II Project Workshop of the World Bank Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) Project| Accra, Ghana| November 7-10, 2017

The Association of African Universities (AAU), and the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), will host the 1st Joint ACE I & ACE II Project Workshop of the World Bank Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence Project.

This is scheduled to take place at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in  Accra, Ghana, from 7th – 9th November, 2017.  The Meetings of the Project Steering Committee (ACE I) and the Regional Steering Committee (ACE II) will take place on Friday, 10th November, 2017 after the Joint Project Workshop.

This is an important workshop where ACE I and ACE II members will learn and share experiences with each other, and network for mutual benefit mainly on verification of Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs), disbursement process, international accreditation and overall ACE project activities.

ACE I is made up of countries in West and Central Africa (Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo and The Gambia) whiles ACE II is made up of countries in Eastern and Southern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia).

The Association of African Universities (AAU) is the ACE I Regional Facilitation Unit (RFU) and the  National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), is the regulatory body for the ACEs in Ghana.

Contact: smkandawire@aau.org | Association of African Universities | P. O. Box AN 5744,
Accra-North, Ghana | Tel +233-547-728975 All Rights Reserved © 2022