ACE@10

Category: ACE@10

Championing Sustainability and Institutional Transformation in African Universities

At the 10th Anniversary celebrations of the Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE) Program, a high-level Vice Chancellors Roundtable held on April 8, 2025, brought together leaders from African universities to address one of the most urgent questions facing the ACE initiative today: How can Africa sustain and institutionalize the impact of the ACEs beyond development partner support? The roundtable provided a critical space for the vice chancellors to reflect on lessons from a decade of the ACE program’s implementation and explore pathways for long-term integration and impact.

Chaired by Ms. Trina Haque, Regional Practice Director for People (Human Development), World Bank and moderated by Ms. Roberta Bassett, Global Lead for Tertiary Education, World Bank, the session underscored a shared commitment to embedding the ACEs into the strategic frameworks of host institutions. Rather than functioning as isolated development partner-funded projects, Vice Chancellors were encouraged to envision the ACEs as institutional engines of innovation, revenue generation, and regional impact.


Institutional Experiences: Models of Innovation and Ownership

The Vice Chancellors shared insights on how their institutions have successfully implemented and managed the ACE initiative, highlighting innovative strategies adopted to align with the program’s overarching vision of enhancing the quality and standards of higher education across the continent.

Prof. Patrick Kyamanywa of Uganda Martyrs University emphasized ways the center catalyzed curriculum reform and community engagement at the university. He described how their ACE in Agri-Economy transformed academic programs, infrastructure, and outreach. The centre’s market-relevant curriculum and focus on 21st-century skills attracted students from across Africa and even garnered support from the Ugandan government. In addition, the university fostered cross-border partnerships.  Prof. Kyamanywa credited the initiative with instilling a culture of data-driven decision-making, evidence-based management, and social innovation.

Prof. Doutor Manuel Guilherme of Eduardo Mondlane University highlighted aligning curriculum with market demands. He noted ways Mozambique’s largest public university used the ACE framework to tighten links between education and industry, especially in mining, oil, and gas sectors. Through tracer studies and continuous curriculum updates, the university now delivers job-ready graduates equipped with both technical and soft skills. National legislation also requires companies to engage directly with students on campus—an opportunity that Eduardo Mondlane is leveraging to align academic offerings with real-world labor market needs.

Dr. Mahmadou Sheriff, representing Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Côte d’Ivoire emphasized driving institutional ownership by ensuring that the ACE is fully embedded in the university’s development strategy. He noted that the university’s management allocated prime land for ACE infrastructure, and staff are recruited and paid by the university—fostering full operational integration. He noted that the ACE catalyzed institution-wide accreditation reforms, income generation, and research excellence. However, he cautioned that development partner phase-out poses risks, and called for renewed efforts in audit compliance, quality control, and long-term financing.

Dr. Daouda Keita, vice chancellor of L’institut Superior des Mines et de la Geologie de Boke in Guinea (ISMG) presented a notable example of leveraging industry partnerships, demonstrating ACEs collaborating closely with national industries and agencies. At ISMG, partnerships with the mining sector have yielded infrastructure support, research funding, student internships, and curriculum co-design. By allocating land and staff, the university demonstrated strong institutional support. Dr. Keita called the ACE “a cornerstone of national relevance,” underscoring its role in linking academia with the labor market.

Finally, Dr. Wondossen Mulugeta Gewe of Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia underscored that the ACEs’ priorities are well anchored in national policies. Noting that the university’s three centers of excellence—focused on railway development, water research, and drug development are directly aligned with Ethiopia’s development priorities. The centers have enhanced gender equity, internationalization, and academic-industry partnerships through their diverse initiatives. However, he highlighted that the project’s closure in 2025 could affect its impact.  He urged university leadership to formally adopt the ACEs into the institutional strategy and operational budgets.

 

Cross-Cutting Insights and Observations

The roundtable revealed several common insights across institutions, including the data-driven culture of the ACEs which has helped introduce a strong culture of evidence-based planning – thus informing curriculum design, partnerships, and resource allocation. Other insights shared included enhanced infrastructure and institutional visibility; curriculum reform incorporating market driven and industry-aligned programs and skills training to enhance graduate employability; and institutional integration to ensure continuity.

Policy recommendations were made to sustain efforts to scale the project at institutional levels as well as to foster continuity. These recommendations comprise introducing sustainable scholarship schemes to maintain enrolment levels; fostering inter-ACE collaboration to promote shared research, curricula, and mobility; developing national policies that enable continued ACE post-development partner funding; and building internal audit and quality assurance systems to reduce external compliance burdens.

Conclusively, the Vice Chancellors Roundtable discussion highlighted the profound influence of the ACE initiative on higher education transformation across Africa — serving as a blueprint for institutional growth, continental collaboration and catalyst for knowledge-led development, emphasizing the need to embed the ACEs into the universities’ operation systems.

ACE Water Network Unveils Strategic Blueprint for Sustainable Excellence

Reflecting on best practices and learning lessons has been central to the ACE initiative’s success. Throughout its implementation, the programme has provided forums through its regional workshops among other key events, for centres across agriculture, health, water, education, energy and other critical themes to exchange knowledge, leverage each other’s expertise, adopt proven approaches, and continuously improve to advance Africa’s development. The ACE@10 Celebrations, held in Accra, Ghana, from 7th to 9th April 2025 offered yet another opportunity for participating centres to reflect on their achievements in translating research into impact, contributing to policy and industry, and cultivating partnerships with key stakeholders all geared towards sustainability.

The breakout session on Water convened representatives from eight water-focused ACE centres from West and East Africa. United by their commitment to translating research into practical solutions, these centres leveraged the session to refine key strategies that will support them to deliver tangible improvements in water management, bolster community well-being, and sustain their efforts across the continent, post the current funding phase of the project.

Aligning research with national priorities

A central theme running through the discussions at this session was the alignment of research undertaken by the centres with national priorities. As the project nears its conclusion, the imperative to ensure centers’ efforts continue to address real-world water-management challenges in the sub-region and directly respond to pressing policy and implementation gaps were highlighted. To enhance relevance and promote practical use of their research findings, the centres committed to adopting innovative approaches in communicating research outputs – leveraging policy briefs, clear infographics and short executive summaries that distill complex data into actionable recommendations policymakers and key stakeholders can readily understand.

Expanding Demand-Driven Professional Short Courses

Building on the ACE program’s achievement of training over 52,000 professionals over the past decade, participants showcased the significance of offering demand-driven short courses to amplify impact and underscored the need for this to be expanded. These industry-relevant offerings present an avenue to maximize impact, and therefore centers committed to continue tailoring curricula to local needs, scaling enrolment in these courses, and equipping industry practitioners with the skills needed to apply research findings to real world solutions.

Embracing a Nexus Vision to Strengthen Cross-Sector Partnerships

Recognizing water’s intrinsic connections to health, agriculture, energy and other sectors, the session explored a “One-Water” nexus model—mirroring One-Health approaches—to foster transdisciplinary research. Centers highlighted the need to strengthen ties not only within academia but also to bring industrial partners fully on board. The discussions highlighted the necessity of formalizing network structures, including governance around intellectual property and revenue-sharing, to ensure equitable partnerships. Industrial stakeholders were encouraged to join as full partners, bringing practical insights and co-funding opportunities.

Securing Sustainability

While the ACE Water centers have already achieved high standards of research excellence, sustaining the momentum requires more strategic planning and targeted initiatives. During the thematic breakout session, the eight participating centers identified a mix of strategies to secure long-term viability and these included:

  • Endowment Funds: Seeded by center alumni, philanthropic donors, and host universities, endowments can underwrite core research costs and provide financial support for the centers.
  • National Fundraising Drives: Leveraging high-profile events and public-sector partnerships to tap into domestic research budgets and health levies.
  • Commercial Services & Innovations: Centres are to package high-quality laboratory diagnostics, training modules, and consultancy as revenue-generating service and ultimately turn cutting-edge work into self-sustaining enterprises.
  • Regional Networking & Alumni Hubs: Cultivating a pan-African community and rotating secretariat roles among centres, the ACE network can maintain momentum, share best practices and jointly pursue larger grants.

By the close of the session, the involved centres had not only charted a roadmap for impactful research and robust networks but also renewed their commitment to a sustainable, nexus-oriented future for water management in Africa.

Driving Excellence in Africa’s Higher Education: Key Achievements and Lessons from the ACE Impact Journey

The tenth anniversary of the Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE) Program held in April 2025, offered a pivotal moment for reflection, learning, and strategic dialogue. Plenary session five reflecting on the ACE journey thus far, bringing to light the immense strides made by the program in transforming Africa’s higher education landscape over the past decade.

Dr. Halil Dundar, Education Global Manager at the World Bank opened the session by commending the program’s achievements and emphasized the importance of consolidating lessons learned to strengthen future higher education initiatives in Africa.  He underscored the important contribution of the centers of excellence to Africa’s development and advancement, given their critical role in training the next generation of scientists, researchers, and professionals to tackle the continent’s most pressing challenges across various sectors including health, agriculture, STEM, energy, and mining sectors.

The session featured presentations by Dr. Sylvia Mkandawire, Senior Program Manager for the ACE Impact at the Association of African Universities (AAU), and Dr. Jude Ssebuwufu, ACE II Coordinator at the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA). They presented the key achievements, challenges, and lessons learned from the ACE journey, alongside recommendations to further strengthen future initiatives.

Key Achievements: Scaling Impact Across the Continent

The presentations by the AAU and IUCEA indicated that as part of the ACE program’s objectives to expand higher education access and inclusion, over 90,000 students have been enrolled under the program­ ­ including 7,650 PhD and 30,200 Master’s students, 52,629 learners in professional short-term courses, and 26,291 regional students across borders. Notably, 29,696 of these students are women, reflecting a deliberate commitment by the program to gender inclusion and equitable access in postgraduate education.

In terms of raising quality through accreditation and infrastructure, more than 620 academic programs have been accredited through national, regional, and international bodies. International accreditation partners include the Agency for Quality Assurance through Accreditation of Study Programmes (AQAS, Germany) and Accreditation Agency for Study Programmes of Engineering, Information Science, Natural Sciences and Mathematics (ASIIN, Germany), ensuring global relevance and competitiveness. In addition, the ACE program has invested in modern learning environments, commissioning 51 new buildings with smart classrooms and digital learning tools, with nine (9) more facilities nearing completion.

The contribution of the centers of excellence to global knowledge has been impressive, with over 10,000 research publications in high impact journals with some being published in collaboration with regional and global partners. At least 400 formal research collaborations and 73 peer-reviewed articles have emerged from ACE-affiliated networks. Additionally, 61 capacity-building workshops, 52 regional network scholarships, and eight (8) start-ups have been launched through ACE support structures. Importantly, 20% of students have accessed internships or academic exchanges, built practical skills while promoting cross-border academic mobility.

Moreover, in bridging the employability gap, targeted skills training has led to notable improvements in graduate employability, particularly for students in applied and industry-linked programs. These interventions are helping bridge the critical skills gap in Africa’s key sectors, while also contributing to national and regional development agendas.

Good Practices

One of the pivotal lessons learned from the ACE initiative is the critical role of proactive policy development in supporting international accreditation. Establishing comprehensive accreditation policies with clear implementation guidelines that ensure universities are structurally prepared before beginning the accreditation journey.

Equally significant is the use of structured benchmarking exercises such as the PASET benchmarking framework. This tool has been particularly effective in preparing ACEs for international recognition by identifying performance gaps and facilitating targeted interventions.

Operational efficiency also emerged as a key success factor. Timely procurement processes contributed to meeting project timelines, avoiding bottlenecks, and ensuring the smooth rollout of program activities. Moreover, teamwork across departments and within project teams enabled division of labor, better coordination, and early completion of targets. Perhaps most importantly, institutional ownership and acceptance of the ACE initiative were essential for project sustainability. When the host universities internalized the project’s goals and took active responsibility for its execution, it fostered long-term commitment, accountability, and a culture of excellence.

Challenges and Lessons Learned

Several challenges emerged throughout the implementation of the ACE initiative, particularly around regional integration and quality assurance. Variations in national scholarship policies created inequities in student access and hindered regional enrolment targets. Immigration barriers, including delayed permit processing and policies separating students from their families further disrupted academic mobility. Additionally, tuition disparities based on nationality and language limitations discouraged outward mobility and restricted the scope of intra-African academic exchange. On the quality front, many centers struggled to meet the rigorous demands of international accreditation, with lengthy timelines.

Key Recommendations

To promote regional student mobility across Africa, a multifaceted approach is needed. Targeted awareness campaigns should be launched to emphasize the strategic value of regional exchange programs—not only in building human capital but also in fostering cross-border collaboration and shared development goals. These campaigns should showcase success stories and opportunities available through ACE programs to encourage buy-in from students, families, and institutions.

Simultaneously, immigration bottlenecks such as delays in processing study permits and restrictive travel policies must be addressed through systematic assessment and high-level dialogue with governments to ease cross-border academic movement.

Advocating for equitable regional tuition policies through entities like the African Union and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) such as ECOWAS, SADC, and EAC is essential to reducing financial barriers.

In addition, universities must proactively enhance language accessibility by establishing language support centers and offering multilingual learning resources to improve inclusion and success rates for non-native speakers.

Stronger academia-industry linkages should be incentivized through tailored reward systems that recognize ACEs successfully leveraging partnerships for applied research, co-created curricula, industrial internships, and commercialization of innovations.

Sustaining the Vision for Africa’s Knowledge Future

In conclusion, the ACE program’s impactful contributions and successes makes a compelling case for regional collaboration, policy reform, and investment in higher education as a cornerstone of Africa’s development agenda. It has proven that African universities can deliver high-quality training, produce impactful research, and shape policies that respond to the continent’s evolving needs.

About the ACE Model

Launched in 2014, the ACE Program is a regional higher education initiative supported by the World Bank in partnership with participating African governments. Building on its early successes, the program has attracted additional development partners most notably the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), which co-funds the third phase launched in 2019.

Coordinated by the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the ACE model adopts a results-based financing approach, linking disbursements to measurable results in research, teaching, and institutional development. To date, over 80 Centres of Excellence in 20 African countries have been supported, with the goal of improving postgraduate education and research in priority sectors.

Shaping the Future of Responsible Mining and Ensuring Sustainable Environment: ACE Mining Centres Reflect on Progress During ACE@10

The Africa Centers of Excellence (ACE) program’s 10th anniversary celebrations in April 2025, offered a space for deep reflection, collaboration, and future-focused dialogue in its breakout sessions. The mining session, moderated by Xavier Michel reflected on forward-thinking strategies towards environmental sustainability.  The ACE program centers across West, East, and Southern Africa shared their unique perspectives on responsible mining and sustainable environmental practices, highlighting their individual and collective contributions to responsible mining. Additionally, participants at this session deliberated on burgeoning environmental, social, and governance challenges that bedevil Africa’s mining ecosystem, and charted a clear vision toward its sustainability.

Six ACEs—CEFORGRIS from Burkina Faso, CEMS from Côte d’Ivoire, EMIG from Niger, CEA-MEM from Senegal, CS-OGET from Ethiopia, and ACESM from Zambia—participated in this session. These centers, located in Africa’s mineral-rich corridors, have become beacons of research excellence and innovation in mining and extractive sciences.

With the overarching theme focused on responsible mining and its contribution to a sustainable environment, the session was a dynamic space for shared learning. Discussions revolved around four interrelated pillars: student and faculty development; advancing research, translating research into industry and policy impact; and partnerships and sustainability. Each centre presented compelling narratives that painted a rich tapestry of institutional progress grounded in real-world challenges and triumphs.

On student and faculty development, leaders of the various centers emphasized efforts to enhance academic programs in mining, increase postgraduate enrolments, and foster faculty development through international mobility and mentoring of early-career mining and environment researchers. Initiatives profiled included curriculum modernization, faculty exchange programs, and targeted recruitment to promote diversity and inclusion in mining education. EMIG shared its targeted efforts to attract more women into mining-related programs, while ACESM highlighted its industry-linked PhD training model that embeds students within mining companies for hands-on practical experience and on-the-job training.

When it came to advancing research, centres celebrated milestones in cutting-edge work on mineral recovery technologies, environmental impact assessments, and mine safety innovations. CEA-MEM’s work on sustainable artisanal mining techniques stood out as a model of locally responsive research with global relevance.

One of the most inspiring moments was the accounts of research translation into policy and industry impact. CS-OGET detailed its collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Mines to shape regulatory reforms, while CEMS illustrated how its geotechnical research was informing mining protocols in Francophone West Africa. These stories underscored growth among the ACE centers in closing the gap between academic inquiry and real-world impact.

In the discussions on partnerships and sustainability, centre leaders spoke candidly about the evolving nature of funding, the need for diversified income streams, and the critical role of long-term partnerships with industry, government, and international collaborators. CEFOGRIS shared a strategy of embedding its alumni into key public agencies to drive future collaboration from within.

Moving forward, future focus areas identified included critical minerals research, climate-smart mining practices, and digitization and automation of mining processes. Centre leaders called for enabling conditions such as enhanced infrastructure, stronger regional collaboration frameworks, and increased policy alignment with academic outputs.

The session concluded with a collective commitment to advancing responsible mining practices that align with sustainable development goals. The moderator, Xavier Michel in his closing remarks, noted that the shared experiences and forward-looking strategies reflected the ACE program’s core ethos: centres of excellence rooted in local realities, producing knowledge for global good.

The insights from the Mining Breakout Session, later shared during the plenary on the event’s third day, reinforced a compelling truth: Africa’s path to responsible and sustainable mining is already being paved by the Centres of Excellence program through science, partnerships, and the unrelenting dedication of its researchers and educators.

As the ACE initiative steps into its next decade, these mining-focused centres stand poised to lead Africa into a new era, where the continent’s rich natural resources are harnessed not just for economic gain but for environmental stewardship, social inclusion, and sustainable development.

Driving Excellence in Africa’s Higher Education: Key Achievements and Lessons from the ACE Impact Journey

The tenth anniversary of the Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) Program held in April 2025, offered a pivotal moment for reflection, learning, and strategic dialogue. The fifth plenary session focused on reflecting on the ACE journey thus far, bringing to light the immense strides made by the ACE initiative in transforming Africa’s higher education landscape over the past decade.

Dr. Halil Dundar, Education Global Manager at the World Bank opened the session by commending the program’s achievements and emphasized the importance of consolidating lessons learned as the initiative prepares for its next phase. He stressed that the future of Africa’s development hinges on strengthened centers of excellence that train the next generation of scientists, researchers, and professionals to tackle the continent’s most pressing challenges across sectors including health, agriculture, STEM, energy, mining, and more.

The session featured presentations by Dr. Sylvia Mkandawire, Senior Project Manager for the ACE Impact at the Association of African Universities (AAU), and Dr. Jude Ssebuwufu, ACE II Coordinator at the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA). They presented the key achievements, challenges, and lessons learned from the ACE journey, alongside recommendations for the future.

 

The ACE Model: A Pan-African Investment in Knowledge and Skills

Launched in 2014, the ACE Program is a regional higher education initiative supported by the World Bank in partnership with participating African governments. Building on its early successes, the program has attracted additional development partners—most notably the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), which co-funds the third phase launched in 2019.

Coordinated by the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the ACE model adopts a results-based financing approach, linking disbursements to measurable results in research, teaching, and institutional development. To date, over 80 Centres of Excellence in 20 African countries have been supported, with the goal of improving postgraduate education and research in priority sectors.

 

Key Achievements: Scaling Impact Across the Continent

As part of the ACE program’s objectives to expand higher education access and inclusion, over 90,000 students have been enrolled­­­ ­ including 7,650 PhD and 30,200 Master’s students, 52,629 learners in professional short-term courses (PSTCs), and 26,291 regional students across borders. Notably, 29,696 of these students are women, reflecting a deliberate commitment to gender inclusion and equitable access in postgraduate education.

In terms of raising quality through accreditation and infrastructure, more than 620 academic programs have been accredited through national, regional, and international bodies. International accreditation partners include Agency for Quality Assurance through Accreditation of Study Programmes (AQAS, Germany) and Accreditation Agency for Study Programmes of Engineering, Information Science, Natural Sciences and Mathematics (ASIIN, Germany), ensuring global relevance and competitiveness. In addition, the ACE program has invested in modern learning environments, commissioning 51 new buildings with smart classrooms and digital learning tools, with nine (9) more facilities nearing completion.

To boost research, innovation, and industrial relevance, the centers have produced over 10,000 research publications, many in collaboration with regional and global partners. At least 400 formal research collaborations and 73 peer-reviewed articles have emerged from ACE-affiliated networks, in addition to 61 capacity-building workshops, 52 regional network scholarships, eight (8) start-ups launched through ACE support structures. Importantly, 20% of students have accessed internships or academic exchanges, built practical skills while promoting cross-border academic mobility.

Moreover, in bridging the employability gap, targeted skills training has led to notable improvements in graduate employability, particularly for students in applied and industry-linked programs. These interventions are helping bridge the critical skills gap in Africa’s key sectors, while also contributing to national and regional development agendas.

 

Lessons Learned

Key success areas for the ACE model include regional cooperation that has strengthened cross-country collaboration in higher education, influencing national policy and institutional reforms, results-based financing tying disbursements to measurable outputs, ultimately, encouraging performance-driven education management as well as policy reform impact.

 

Persistent Challenges

Key challenges noted include regional student mobility in line with language barriers, and strict immigration processes, program accreditation hurdles, and inconsistent national financing policies and models.

 

Recommendations

To combat these challenges, there is the need to promote regional student mobility, enhance language accessibility by establishing language support centers, streamline accreditation processes, and advocate for common or similar financing policies through regional economic blocs.

 

Sustaining the Vision for Africa’s Knowledge Future

In conclusion, the ACE program has made a compelling case for regional collaboration, policy reform, and investment in higher education as a cornerstone of Africa’s development agenda. It has proven that African universities can deliver high-quality training, produce impactful research, and shape policies that respond to the continent’s evolving needs.

Shaping the Future of Responsible Mining and Ensuring Sustainable Environment: ACE Mining Centres Reflect During Program’s 10th Anniversary

The Africa Centers of Excellence (ACE) program’s 10th anniversary celebrations in April 2025, offered a space for deep reflection, collaboration, and future-focused dialogue in its breakout sessions. The mining session, moderated by Xavier Michel reflected on forward-thinking strategies towards environmental sustainability.  The ACE program centers across West, East, and Southern Africa converged their unique perspectives on responsible mining and sustainable environmental practices, highlighting their individual and collective contributions to responsible mining, deliberating on burgeoning environmental, social, and governance challenges that bedevil Africa’s mining ecosystem, and charting a clear vision toward its sustainability.

Six ACE program centres—CEFORGRIS from Burkina Faso, CEMS from Côte d’Ivoire, EMIG from Niger, CEA-MEM from Senegal, CS-OGET from Ethiopia, and ACESM from Zambia—participated in this session. These centers, located in Africa’s mineral- rich corridors, have become beacons of research excellence and innovation in mining and extractive sciences.

With the overarching theme around responsible mining and its contribution to a sustainable environment, the session was a dynamic space for shared learning. Discussions revolved around four interrelated pillars: student and faculty development, advancing research, translating research into industry and policy impact, and partnerships and sustainability. Each centre presented compelling narratives that painted a rich tapestry of institutional progress grounded in real-world challenges and triumphs.

On student and faculty development, leaders of the various centers emphasized efforts to enhance academic programs in mining, increase postgraduate enrolments, and foster faculty development through international mobility and mentoring of early-career mining and environment researchers. Initiatives included curriculum modernization, faculty exchange programs, and targeted recruitment to promote diversity and inclusion in mining education. EMIG shared its targeted efforts to attract more women into mining-related programs, while ACESM highlighted its industry-linked PhD training model that embeds students within mining companies.

When it came to advancing research, centres celebrated milestones in cutting-edge work on mineral recovery technologies, environmental impact assessments, and mine safety innovations. CEA-MEM’s work on sustainable artisanal mining techniques stood out as a model of locally responsive research with global relevance.

One of the most inspiring moments was the accounts of research translation into policy and industry impact. CS-OGET detailed its collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Mines to shape regulatory reforms, while CEMS illustrated how its geotechnical research was informing mining protocols in Francophone West Africa. These stories underscored growth among the ACE centers in closing the gap between academic inquiry and real-world impact.

In the discussions on partnerships and sustainability, centre leaders spoke candidly about the evolving nature of funding, the need for diversified income streams, and the critical role of long-term partnerships with industry, government, and international collaborators. CEFOGRIS shared a strategy of embedding alumni into key public agencies to drive future collaboration from within.

Moving forward, future focus areas identified included critical minerals research, climate-smart mining practices, and digitization and automation of mining processes. Centre leaders called for enabling conditions such as enhanced infrastructure, stronger regional collaboration frameworks, and increased policy alignment with academic outputs.

The session concluded with a collective commitment to advancing responsible mining practices that align with sustainable development goals. The moderator, Xavier Michel in his closing remarks, noted that the shared experiences and forward-looking strategies reflected the ACE program’s core ethos: centres of excellence rooted in local realities, producing knowledge for global good.

The insights from the Mining Breakout Session, later shared during the plenary on the event’s third day, reinforced a compelling truth: Africa’s path to responsible and sustainable mining is already being paved through science, partnerships, and the unrelenting dedication of its researchers and educators.

As the ACE initiative steps into its next decade, these mining-focused centres stand poised to lead Africa into a new era, where the continent’s rich natural resources are harnessed not just for economic gain but for environmental stewardship, social inclusion, and sustainable development.

Transforming Ideas into Impact: ACE Fuels Africa’s Next Generation of Innovation and Enterprise

Driven by a vision to empower African researchers—by Africans and for Africa—the Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE) program has emerged as a transformative force in research, innovation and entrepreneurship across the continent. Over the past decade, the ACE Program has reshaped Africa’s research landscape by training more than 90,000 students from 20 sub-Saharan African countries, equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to tackle Africa’s most pressing development challenges while empowering a new generation to transform research into real-world solutions and create substantial employment opportunities across diverse sectors.

From its inception, the ACE program has achieved more than its core mission of advancing research in Africa; it has also nurtured the continent’s emerging entrepreneurial spirit. The program’s success was celebrated at the recent ACE@10 Celebrations, held at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, Ghana from April 7–9. At this event, young African entrepreneurs—once beneficiaries of the World Bank-funded ACE program—shared their success stories and demonstrated how academic research can be effectively translated into real-world solutions.

Transforming Ideas into Enterprise: The Story of Peace Chemis Mnelemba

Peace Chemis Mnelemba, Chief Executive Officer of Aquaponic for Life (A4L), exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit inspired by the ACE program. Growing up in a community where food insecurity and youth unemployment were pressing issues, Mnelemba set out to find solutions. His journey took a decisive turn when he joined the Centre of Excellence for Aquaculture and Fisheries Science (Aquafish) in Malawi. There, he not only completed his MSc with the necessary support but also learned to convert scientific knowledge into actionable solutions to address local challenges.

With Aquaponic, Peace is addressing a persistent challenge in fish farming: the production of feed from waste. His startup is successfully utilizing black soldier fly (BSF) larvae, produced from waste as a sustainable feed option for fish farmers. Not only has he improved fish stocking density, but he has also established a training program for local youth, universities and technical institutes. Through his innovative work, over 400 farmers have been trained, with 50 forming a cooperative dedicated to aquaponics.

His company has boosted annual fish production from 8,000 to an expected 12,000 pieces and increased Black Soldier Fly output from 200 kg to a projected 500 kg. Additionally, enhanced management practices have led to improved yields in crops like lettuce and peppermint.

Pioneering Natural Medicinal Formulations: The Journey of Jimmy Angupale

Another inspiring example shared during the ACE@10 Celebration was Jimmy Angupale, founder of Novel Medicine Formulations (NMF). Angupale’s enterprise in natural medicinal formulations focuses on producing and commercializing ghee-based products. He sought to position Africa as a leader in indigenous medicinal and cosmetic product development, leveraging local materials to create sustainable solutions.

In Uganda, where conventional cosmetic products often rely on synthetic chemicals that can cause skin toxicity and unpleasant odors, Angupale identified a critical gap. He developed a purification method for ghee that eliminates synthetic residues, resulting in an industrial-grade product that meets quality standards for cosmetic and medicinal use. His innovations have led to the creation of products such as ghee-based Pearl Jelly and Cream, now available on supermarket shelves and receiving positive consumer feedback.

Furthermore, his start-up has diversified into producing antimalarial tablets, HIV/AIDS supplements, and pharmaceutical-grade starch—each innovation reducing reliance on petroleum-based inputs and generating economic opportunities for local communities.

Building a Collaborative Ecosystem for Sustainable Development

The success stories of Mnelemba and Angupale are testaments to the ACE program’s collaborative ecosystem, which bridges academia, government, industry, and local communities. Abdoul-Wahab Annou, Head of the Incubation and Entrepreneurship Centre & Project Coordinator in Burkina Faso, emphasized at the event that working together was crucial for addressing Africa’s development challenges. He encouraged student researchers to focus on continent-specific issues and to harness scientific research to drive tangible improvements. He praised the tenacity of entrepreneurs like Mr. Angupale and Mr. Mnelemba and encouraged student researchers to address national and continent-specific problems through integrated, collaborative efforts.

Faculty and students across all the participating centers in West, East and Southern Africa continue to convert academic knowledge into practical solutions. For instance, Dr. Yaw Bediako, a faculty from the West Africa Center for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) in Ghana established Yemaachi, a biotech company dedicated to building the world’s most diverse cancer bio-database to aid in the development of effective cancer treatments.

Charting the Future

Launched in 2014, the ACE program has emerged as a transformative initiative in Africa’s academic and entrepreneurial sectors. By establishing 80 centers of excellence across 50 universities, and with funding support from the World Bank and the French Development Agency, the program has not only advanced research but has also accelerated the translation of academic knowledge into market-driven solutions. The remarkable achievements of entrepreneurs like Peace Chemis Mnelemba and Jimmy Angupale exemplify how the ACE program empowers individuals to conduct high quality research, address local challenges, create jobs, and foster sustainable development.

Regional coordination has been led by the Association of African Universities (AAU) for ACE I and ACE Impact, and by the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) for ACE II, reflecting strong collaborative efforts across the continent.

The ACE program is not only bridging critical gaps in academia but also driving a movement where research, innovation, and entrepreneurship converge to transform Africa’s development trajectory.

Presidential Endorsement Cements ACE Program’s Status as a Model of Distinction for Africa’s Higher Education Transformation

At the 10th Anniversary celebration of the Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) programme, the President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama emphasised that ‘the ACE Program has emerged as a model of distinction, fostering innovation, nurturing world-class expertise, and strengthening institutional capacities in critical sectors such as health, agriculture, engineering, and applied sciences’. President Mahama highlighted the ACE Program’s transformative journey as being a powerful testament to what can be achieved through collaboration in higher education. ‘From advancing cutting-edge research in infectious diseases and renewable energy to driving innovation in agriculture and digital technology, ACE has become a beacon of regional integration and cooperation and has demonstrated that when nations, institutions and development partners come together, the impact is exponential’- he added.

President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama
President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama

The 10th anniversary celebration of the ACE programme was successfully co-organised by the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), with the support of the World Bank and the French Development Agency (AFD). Held at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, Ghana, from April 7-9, 2025, this high-level forum brought together over 500 esteemed stakeholders, including African governments, higher education institutions, industry leaders, development agencies, civil society representatives, and media professionals.

The formal opening session on April 7, 2025 also featured an opening message from Honourable Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education of the Republic of Ghana, and a high-level address from Mr. Ousmane Diagana, Regional Vice President for Western and Central Africa at the World Bank. A short video presentation showcasing the ACE Program’s decade-long achievements, including key project highlights, was also screened for participants.

ACEs Impactful Contributions to National and Regional Economies

President John Mahama highlighted the pivotal role of the Centres of Excellence in transforming higher education and research as well as the economies of countries through their various impactful interventions in their respective focus areas.

He cited exemplary centres in Ghana, including the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), which has become a key player in enhancing agricultural productivity across the region, prioritising improving crop varieties and making significant strides in addressing food security in the subregion. Mention was also made of the highly trained graduates from WACCI who are now leaders in agricultural research, positively impacting food systems in Ghana and across the broader West African region.

The West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) was also recognised for its significant contributions to scientific research and innovation in health, particularly in the study and diagnosis of infectious diseases. WACCBIP’s achievements, as outlined during the president’s address included training a diverse pool of scientists who have played a pivotal role in advancing diagnostic tools and therapeutic methods, especially in the fight against emerging diseases. The centres’ immense role in researching and testing during the COVID-19 pandemic was said to be invaluable, further cementing its place as a leading health research institution.

Additionally, the West Africa Genetic Medicine Centre (WAGMC) was commended for its pioneering work in genetic research and counseling services, tackling genetic health issues such as sickle cell disease. As the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa, WAGMC’s efforts in promoting genetic testing and awareness were underscored as being transformative, particularly in Ghana, where genetic health challenges are of major concern.

More generally, and beyond the Ghana- specific examples, the Centres of Excellence have made significant strides in enhancing graduate employability, advancing research, and promoting programme accreditation, outreach, and scholarly publications. For example, the Center for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa’s (CDT-Africa) research on clinical trials and medicine development has developed over 15 medicinal products with five submitted for patenting to the national intellectual property office in Ethiopia.

Julien Dushimimana, an alumni from the Africa Center of Excellence in Energy for Sustainable Development (ACEESD) in Rwanda, developed the Right Lamp Automatic Changeover Switch, a device that automates the process of switching between solar power and the national power grid.

Evidently, by fostering cutting-edge research and innovation, these centers have not only elevated Africa’s research landscape but also cultivated a new generation of accomplished African scientists, thereby positioning the continent as a pivotal player in global academic and research advancement.

 

The Future Prospects of ACE

Looking ahead, President Mahama envisioned a bright future for the ACE program, driven by the growing demand for research-led solutions, skilled professionals, and regionally relevant innovations. According to the President, the ACEs are uniquely positioned to meet this demand, serving as hubs of excellence that can catalyze socio-economic transformation across the continent. He added that with sustained support from governments, donors, and the private sector, these centers can amplify their impact, foster regional integration, and propel Africa toward a knowledge-based future.

The President further emphasized that collaboration in scientific research remains pivotal in addressing the key barriers in responding to Africa’s most pressing developmental challenges, including skills gaps in emerging industries and high capital costs in critical sectors like renewable energy. He stressed that strategic partnerships between universities, industry actors, and public institutions will be instrumental in ensuring that higher education responds to real economic needs

 

Recognising ACE’s Commitment to Gender Inclusivity in STEM

President Mahama commended the ACE Program for its remarkable contribution to promoting gender inclusion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, where women remain underrepresented. He noted the program’s impressive strides in increasing female enrollments, offering targeted scholarships, providing mentorship initiatives, and building institutional cultures that recognize and respond to the unique challenges faced by women in scientific and technical careers.

The President also emphasized that as Africa navigates the Fourth Industrial Revolution, addressing the shortage of advanced digital skills will be critical. In his vision for the ACE Program’s next decade, he underscored the importance of investment in higher education to drive Africa’s transformation and secure a brighter future for generations to come. By leveraging digital technologies, including artificial intelligence and robotics, ACEs can enhance program access and quality, ultimately empowering Africa’s brightest minds and ensuring the continent’s competitiveness and innovation on the global stage, he added.

 

Education Minister’s Message on Advancing Education and Research

In a high-level message to participants, Honourable Haruna Iddrisu, Ghana’s Minister of Education, expressed the Ministry’s commitment to advancing higher education and research, assuring participants of President Mahama’s dedication to this cause. Notably, the President has directed the operationalization of a national research fund, with an initial allocation of US $5 million. Furthermore, the minister announced initiatives aimed at promoting academic excellence and supporting students. These include domestic scholarships, with a directive for every public university to receive dedicated funding from the Ghana Education Trust Fund to support the training of five PhD students locally. This initiative aims to build faculty capacity and enhance academic research. The government’s upcoming launch of a sanitary pad initiative to support young girls who struggle with absenteeism due to inability to afford menstrual products was also highlighted, in line with promoting girls’ education.

Honourable Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education of the Republic of Ghana
Honourable Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education of the Republic of Ghana

The minister also encouraged the ACE Programme to consider establishing can Africa Center of Excellence in Youth Empowerment and Youth Development, to address growing unemployment, including graduate unemployment, by providing critical skills and support.

Additionally, Honourable Haruna Iddrisu highlighted the government’s interest in traditional medicine, recognizing its potential benefits, as well as the interest in focusing on infrastructural development, calling on the World Bank and other partners to support this area. The Minister also emphasized the importance of enhancing academic freedom, underscoring the President’s commitment to this principle. Moreover, Honourable Haruna Iddrisu highlighted the importance of foundational learning in Africa, citing inadequacies in literacy and numeracy in the case of Ghana.

 

About the ACE Programme

The Africa’s Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE) program is the first large scale regional program funded by the World Bank in the higher education sector in Africa. Through a series of three projects – ACE1 (2014-2020); ACE2 (2016 to date); and ACE Impact (2019 to date)— the program has supported competitively selected ACEs with specializations in regional development priority areas to deliver high-quality postgraduate training, skills-upgrading for professionals, applied research, entrepreneurship and innovation in priority sectors such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), agriculture, health, environment, and education. Across these projects, the World Bank has committed a total of US$657 million in support to participating governments, with an additional co-financing of US$72 million equivalent from the French Development Agency (AFD) for the ACE Impact project. In total, the ACE Program has supported some 80 centers in more than 50 universities across 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Association of African Universities (AAU) has provided regional facilitation support for two phases of the program: ACE I and ACE Impact, while the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) serves as the regional facilitation unit for ACE II, underscoring shared regional coordination efforts.

ACE Impact showcases institutional impact in supporting global good practices for higher education inclusivity: A case of University of Ghana Enhanced Assertive Technology

In a remarkable step towards inclusivity, the Africa Higher Education Center of Excellence for Development Impact (ACE Impact) has bolstered its support for students with disabilities through the University of Ghana as one of its beneficiaries. This inspiring initiative aims to alleviate the pressures on its Assistive Technology Unit, facilitate the academic progress of students with special needs, and integrate them into the university’s ICT training services, crucial for 21st-century technological competence. The ACE Impact recently equipped the Assistive Technology Unit, at the University of Ghana Computing System Office (UGCS), with 20 brand-new, high-specification desktop computers.

This intervention is a crucial step towards fulfilling a significant part of the ACE Impact project’s disbursement-linked result, which provides ACE Impact host institutions the flexibility to pursue activities focused on Institutional Impact based on need and priority. This budgetary allocation was made available to all 36 universities that host at least one of the 54 ACE Impact centers in West Africa and Djibouti, driving substantial impact across the region.

The University of Ghana’s initiative enhances its capacity to support students and faculty and exemplifies its commitment to adopting global best practices in higher education. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 15% of the world’s population lives with some form of disability. In Africa, this percentage is slightly higher due to factors such as health conditions, conflict, limited access to health care, infrastructure accessibility, training support, policy environment, and lack of funding.

The University of Ghana, which hosts three ACE Impact centers; the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), the West Africa Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), and the West African Genetic Medicine Centre (WAGMC), chose this intervention after careful consideration of UGCS’s inclusive services and their potential impact on the community services, patrons, and humanity, at large, according to Joy Lamptey, Project Lead for ACE Impact Project, University of Ghana’s Office of Institutional Advancement.

 

Evolution of the Assistive Technology Unit

Established in 2006, the University of Ghana’s Assistive Technology Unit exemplifies the institution’s proactive approach to addressing the needs of visually impaired students. This unit was created in response to numerous requests from concerned students and a comprehensive needs assessment, which highlighted an urgent need to integrate visually impaired students into ICT-related academic activities. The assessment revealed that these students were completely excluded from accessing ICT education and its numerous benefits despite mandatory ICT fees. The unit was thus set up to provide basic ICT skills and support academic activities for visually impaired students, ensuring their inclusion in the digital learning environment.

The establishment of the assistive technology unit in 2006, thus, brought some relief and novelty to the beneficiary visually impaired students. However, the effectiveness of the unit diminished

over time as the traditional system of reading and writing with Braille alone, which the unit initially adopted, proved to be inefficient, particularly during examinations. According to Alexandar Bankole Williams, the Coordinator at the University of Ghana Computing System’s Assistive Technology Unit, who himself is visually impaired, “most initial beneficiary visually impaired students who used the braille for examinations would complain of being awarded low grades and blame the situation on poor transcription and translation of their examination responses,”

The unit responded to this growing concern in 2014 with a few computers; one screen reader, a software application to transform on-screen information into speech or braille to complement the use of only braille; and four desktop video magnifiers, also known as Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) magnifiers, to help low vision people to read, view images, and achieve other daily tasks that require magnification. Subsequently, it also installed other assistive technology gadgets, such as non-visual desktop access (NVDA) to help blind and very low vision students access and interact with the Windows Operating System and Applications, and a ZoomText Screen Magnifier to aid those with some appreciable sight to see and read properly. To be more inclusive, the unit also installed other assistive technology gadgets, such as headphones, and put in other necessary measures to accommodate other students with special needs, such as hearing impairment, physical impairment, and other forms of disability. These connecting devices thus put more pressure on the limited number of computers.

ACE Impact Project’s Timely Intervention

At the WACCBIP Research Conference 2024, Professor Nana Aba Amfo, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, highlighted the transformative impact of the ACE Impact project on the university community. She underscored the project’s vital role in enhancing the experiences of both students and faculty, particularly through its focus on digitalization and inclusivity:

“The project has supported initiatives to enhance the UG students’ experience through digitalization,” Professor Amfo noted. “It promotes inclusivity by equipping the assistive technology laboratory, thereby improving the teaching and learning support systems for students, faculty, and staff with disabilities.”

By 2024, the unit’s resources were outdated and insufficient. The ACE Impact project’s allocation in January 2024 brought a much-needed upgrade with 20 high-spec new computers, significantly enhancing the unit’s capacity.

“Before the ACE Impact project’s intervention, we had only ten functioning computers for over 300 registered students with special needs. These new computers will help reduce the long waiting times and improve the overall learning experience,” noted Alexander Bankole Williams, Coordinator of the Assistive Technology Unit.

 

 

Impact on Students

The new equipment has already made a significant impact. “In the past, we struggled to gain sufficient ICT skills,” said Felicia Amoako, a second-year student of Sociology, Social Work, and Religion. “With these new computers, we can now focus on improving our Braille writing skills and enhancing our employability.”

Isaiah Amada-Awuku, studying Economics, Mathematics, and Statistics, echoed this sentiment. “Having more access to these computers has boosted our self-esteem and self-confidence. We are now less dependent on others and can learn at our own time and pace.”

Future Needs and Expansion

Despite these improvements, challenges remain. The 28-seater space in the UGCS office is insufficient for the growing number of students. Mr. Williams highlighted the need for additional support: “We have a 40-seater space upstairs that is currently inaccessible due to the lack of an elevator or ramps. We need more assistive technological devices to fully empower our students with special needs.” Hence, they are confined to the ground floor, which has limited seating capacity and equipment.

The unit also needs financial resources to purchase more assistive technological devices. “With these devices in place, we will empower the special-needs students with the needed ICT skills and even encourage others who feel embarrassed by the situation to own up. We need more assistive technological devices for our students with special needs,” Mr. Williams emphasized.

Broader Impact and Commitment

The university is committed to strengthening its Office of Institutional Advancement to effectively implement activities related to institutional impact. In line with this commitment, the university has other impactful activities, such as strengthening internet connectivity and enhancing online learning management. Ultimately, these efforts align with the ACE Impact project’s goals of leveraging cross-border teaching opportunities and supporting the university’s regional strategy.

Conclusion

The University of Ghana’s proactive measures, supported by the ACE Impact World Bank grant, demonstrate a robust commitment to inclusivity in higher education. By enhancing its Assistive Technology Unit and other institutional capacities, the university is not only addressing the immediate needs of its students with disabilities but also setting a benchmark for other institutions in the region.

Contact: smkandawire@aau.org | Association of African Universities | P. O. Box AN 5744,
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