The Africa Centre of Excellence: OAU ICT-Driven Knowledge Park (OAK-PARK) at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, celebrated a decade of transformative impact on 10 December 2024. As a trailblazer in digital innovation, research, and talent development, OAK-PARK has redefined how technology drives education and progress in Africa. The milestone underscored its vital role in advancing the ACE Program’s mission to elevate postgraduate education and research that tackle the continent’s most urgent development challenges.

The anniversary was marked by the inauguration of key initiatives that symbolize both innovation and sustainability:

• • The Oak Park Garden: A serene space designed to encourage reflection, creativity, and idea generation among students and faculty. In an era where digital technologies and artificial intelligence are driving solutions to complex global and regional challenges, the garden provides an enabling environment to spark fresh ideas and propel innovation.
    

    

    

  • The Oak Park Executive Lounge: A fee-paying venture tailored for senior members of the university community, designed not only to enhance professional interactions but also to serve as an alternative income stream, reinforcing the center’s commitment to financial sustainability.
    

These initiatives reflect OAK-PARK’s holistic approach to creating an ecosystem that nurtures innovation, supports academic excellence, and ensures long-term impact.

Mrs. Millicent Adjei, Communications Specialist for the ACE Impact Project, described OAK-PARK as “a shining beacon of innovation, excellence, and impactful collaboration.” She emphasized that the center’s influence extends far beyond OAU, inspiring a continental narrative of what African higher education institutions can achieve through groundbreaking innovations and regional partnerships.

Similarly, Ms. Yvonne Obiaga-Orekyeh, Communications Officer for ACE Initiatives at Nigeria’s National Universities Commission (NUC), reaffirmed OAK-PARK’s impact among Nigeria’s 17 ACEs. She noted that the center’s tenth anniversary represents “a decade of tangible achievements in advancing digital education, promoting innovation, and nurturing the next generation of Africa’s digital leaders.”

OAK-PARK’s legacy lies in cutting-edge research and technological innovation. A prime example is its newly established state-of-the-art Design Studio Laboratory, equipped with advanced platforms including: Quanser Real-Time Control (QUARC) System for real-time development, QDrone2 for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) applications, QCar for driverless car simulations, QArm for autonomous robot manipulation, QAero2 for aerospace systems such as aircraft and spacecraft, QBot Platform for autonomous ground vehicle development.

This lab provides unparalleled opportunities to skill engineers, address Africa’s workforce shortages in emerging technologies, and explore advanced applications across robotics, aerospace, ground, and aerial automation.

Over the past decade, OAK-PARK has transformed into a hub of creativity, excellence, and sustainability, bridging academia and industry while developing solutions to regional and global challenges. Its achievements—from supporting digital inclusion and technology startups to creating jobs and advancing research—reflect the vision of the ACE Program in building universities as engines of innovation and societal transformation.

Nigeria’s National Universities Commission (NUC)—the country’s higher education leadership body and National Facilitation Unit for the Africa Centers of Excellence (ACE) program—has taken a decisive step toward ensuring the long-term sustainability of the World Bank’s flagship higher education initiative. This milestone comes with the launch of the ACE Alliance, a bold national platform designed to consolidate and future-proof the achievements of Nigeria’s 20 Africa Centers of Excellence.

Launched on November 3, 2025, the ACE Alliance marks a historic moment and signals a transformative era for African higher education. Over the past decade, the ACE program has demonstrated the capacity of African universities to deliver globally competitive research, build high-level human capital, and address complex national challenges. The ACE Alliance now provides a structured mechanism to sustain and scale this impact, moving the program from project-based achievements to durable institutional resilience.

Core to the ACE Alliance initiative is a comprehensive national inventory of Nigeria’s Centers of Excellence, detailing their state-of-the-art facilities, cutting-edge equipment, faculty expertise, research focus areas, publications, and transformative innovations. Beyond documenting achievements, the platform serves as a strategic visibility and matchmaking tool—positioning the centers and their host universities to collaborate with industry, provide specialized services, and engage meaningfully with government ministries and agencies for national development.

The launch brought together national leaders, development partners, university executives, and AAU, which has coordinated the ACE program in West and Central Africa since its inception in 2014. Through its regional lens, AAU, represented at the launch by its Senior Program Manager, Dr Sylvia Mkandawire, described the Alliance as a landmark move that strengthens the continent’s collective capacity to sustain excellence, deepen collaboration, and drive homegrown innovation in higher education.

“Sustainability has always been the cornerstone of the ACE philosophy. As funding cycles close, the imperative has been for governments, universities, and centres to consolidate their gains, diversify funding and build strategic partnerships for long-term impact. Nigeria has taken this call seriously by replicating the ACE model through new national centres of excellence, institutionalizing support structures, and now, through the establishment of the ACE Alliance, which, I think, is a brilliant and forward-thinking initiative that unites ACEs from both phases of the program into a collaborative network providing a platform for peer learning, research exchange, and joint innovation,” she hailed.

Her remarks were echoed by AFD Deputy Country Director, Mr. Mahamadou Diarra, who emphasized that the centres have evolved into “resilient, future-ready institutions,” and that the ACE Alliance will further enhance collaboration, align research with labor market needs, and amplify continental impact.

Nigeria’s Minister for Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, and other national leaders praised the initiative as a proactive strategy to ensure project continuity and deepen sectoral collaboration. They affirmed that the platform aligns with Nigeria’s ambition to become a regional hub for world-class postgraduate education and transnational academic partnerships.

“The ACE Alliance is a strategic platform for synergy, shared learning, and collaboration,” Dr. Alausa said. “It will consolidate gains, enhance visibility, and amplify the voices of our Centres on the global stage.”

Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, framed the moment as the fulfilment of a decade-long national ambition. He described the Alliance as the natural next step in ensuring sustainability: “Today, we celebrate a vision fulfilled—a vision of African universities rising to global standards of excellence, relevance, and impact. With the extraordinary successes recorded, the ACE program’s closure is not an end but a transition into sustainability.”

The network launch was accompanied by the unveiling of a four-volume national compendium capturing a decade of the ACEs’ unprecedented transformative achievements. Hosting the highest of 20 Centres of Excellence across the program’s 1st and 3rd phases, Nigeria’s contribution to the ACE program cannot be overemphasized, delivering tangible solutions in health, agriculture, digital innovation, energy, cybersecurity, education, and food safety.

The Compendium is not merely a record—it is an African-owned repository of evidence, providing a powerful resource for universities, funders, policymakers, and industry. With prospects to expand the initiative to other countries, further strengthening regional collaboration across the continent.

Nigeria’s ACE Alliance strongly aligns with the project’s overarching objective to promote continental integration, strengthen postgraduate training, and institutionalize excellence through quality assurance, mobility schemes, and research-driven development.

When the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) cut its tenth-anniversary cake in July 2024, the moment represented far more than celebration. It marked a milestone on Africa’s journey toward scientific self-reliance. Over the past decade, WACCBIP has quietly yet powerfully embodied what great institutions do best: training generations of African researchers, transforming global partnerships into local strength, and turning cutting-edge molecular science into public health solutions that countries across the continent can truly own. Its legacy extends beyond publications and conferences. It lies in the thriving network of scientists who can now detect, investigate, and respond to Africa’s most pressing health threats.

The anniversary, held alongside the 8th WACCBIP Research Conference (WRC2024) from July 29 to August 2, 2024, was not just a look back but a bold statement of progress. Under the theme “Addressing Health Challenges in Africa: A Decade of Building World-Class and Innovative Scientific Capacity,” the Centre showcased how sustained investment in people and partnerships has transformed once-isolated laboratories into vibrant hubs of genomic surveillance, antimicrobial resistance research, and vaccine innovation anchoring Africa’s growing capacity to shape its own health destiny.

One especially compelling thread running through its anniversary program was WACCBIP’s deliberate pivot from training for technique toward impact training. This was concretely exemplified in its recent workshops, such as the intensive var coding course that equips scientists to genetically fingerprint Plasmodium falciparum variants and advanced AMR and bacterial genomics labs. These courses don’t merely teach methods; they create a cadre of researchers who can run genomic surveillance pipelines in the country, interpret data for public-health decisions, and mentor the next cohort. In short: capability multiplies.

This effect was multiplied by partnerships. The Centre used its anniversary moment to foreground collaborations with international and regional players, including a high-profile forum on vaccine research and development with GIZ. These strategic partnerships and forums convene funders, manufacturers, policymakers, and researchers at one point to discuss the practical steps—financing mechanisms, regulatory pathways, and technology transfer—needed for African vaccine development to move beyond mere aspiration to successful delivery. This integration of science, policy, and industry signifies WACCBIP’s maturation from a capacity-building node into a convening engine for translational science.

For many an anniversary attendee, the most resonant message came from the legion of scientists themselves: investment in local research is non-negotiable. During the conference sessions, WACCBIP-affiliated researchers urged African governments to make long-term, predictable investments in domestic science—arguing that only sustained local funding could protect research agendas from shifting external priorities and ensure that innovations respond to African needs. That plea framed WACCBIP’s work as part of a larger movement toward scientific sovereignty: training is necessary, but without institutional and governmental support, gains are fragile.

WACCBIP’s decade illustrates the multiplier effect that well-focused ACE investments can have across higher education and health systems. By building local laboratory and bioinformatics capacity, creating career pathways for African researchers, and actively linking science to policy and industry, WACCBIP, together with other World Bank ACE Impact centres of excellence, demonstrates how ACE support translates into measurable systems change—stronger national surveillance.

A clear lesson from WACCBIP’s ten years was its deliberate sequencing: start with people, equip them with cutting-edge skills, embed them in partnerships that demand applied outputs, and then push for the domestic policy and funding ecosystems that will sustain the work. The Centre’s trajectory training workshops, genomic surveillance initiatives, vaccine R&D forums, and public calls for local funding—reads as a blueprint for ACE institutions aiming for long-term impact.

As the ACE program also marks its own tenth year, WACCBIP’s story is both a mirror of what has been achieved and a map of what remains: it reflects what strategic investment in human and institutional capacity can achieve, and it maps the next steps policy advocacy, sustainable financing, and industry linkages that will turn capacity into resilient health systems. In the words that echoed through the anniversary venue halls: Africa’s future health security must be homegrown, and centers of excellence like WACCBIP keep showing how to build it one trained scientist, one partnership, and one bold policy shift at a time.

When the Centre for Food Technology and Research (CEFTER) at Benue State University, Nigeria joined the Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) Project in 2014, its mission was clear yet ambitious to lead the fight against post-harvest losses through cutting-edge research, education, and innovation. Ten years on, that vision has not only been realized but powerfully expanded. Today, CEFTER stands as a dynamic hub where science meets enterprise, policy meets practice, and food systems innovation transforms lives across Nigeria and beyond.

The Centre’s 10th Anniversary Celebration on November 7, 2024, marked a defining moment in its evolution. At the heart of the event was the commissioning of the Food Technology Innovation Complex (CEFTIC), a flagship facility that symbolizes CEFTER’s transition from an academic centre to a catalyst for industrial transformation. CEFTIC houses six fully functional mini factories dedicated to cassava processing, tomato paste production, and food equipment fabrication, a living laboratory where innovation is not abstract but tangible, measurable, and scalable.

CEFTER’s impact extends well beyond academia. Through its commercial arm, CEFTER Foods Nigeria Ltd., the Centre has bridged the gap between research and real-world enterprise, generating over US$1 million in revenue and proving that university-driven entrepreneurship can thrive. This model has empowered local value chains and demonstrated that African universities can be both centres of learning and engines of economic growth.

Equally transformative has been CEFTER’s commitment to inclusion. The Centre’s sustained engagement with refugee communities, internally displaced persons, and underserved populations was highly commended during the anniversary celebrations. Its hygiene and nutrition outreach programs particularly among Cameroonian migrants in Benue State have strengthened community resilience and improved livelihoods, turning science into social impact.

The milestone also set the stage for a new phase of growth. CEFTER announced plans for a Faculty of Agriculture at Benue State University a forward-looking initiative designed to train the next generation of agri-food innovators equipped with both technical expertise and entrepreneurial acumen. The faculty will complement CEFTER’s postgraduate and research mission, embedding food systems thinking at the heart of the university’s academic agenda.

As CEFTER steps into its second decade, its journey reflects a powerful truth: with vision, partnerships, and purpose-driven research, African universities can redefine how knowledge feeds economies, empowers communities, and secures the continent’s food future.

What also stood out during the celebrations was the chorus of institutional endorsements from government leaders, traditional rulers, and national policymakers. They recognized CEFTER as a vital node in Nigeria’s food security ecosystem and urged new models of sustainability as donor funding would wind down in 2025. Calls were made for greater domestic investment, policy backing, and private sector partnerships to secure the centre’s future.

CEFTER’s 10th anniversary marked a decade of translating research into real solutions for Africa’s food systems. By linking innovation with enterprise and community impact, it has established itself as a critical player in the region’s response to food insecurity. With a decade of results to build on, the Centre is charting a future where its work continues to strengthen livelihoods, improve nutrition, and support sustainable development across the continent.

For ten transformative years, the Africa Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) at Redeemer’s University, Nigeria, has stood at the forefront of Africa’s health revolution. Established in 2014 under the World Bank–supported Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) Program, ACEGID has redefined how Africa responds to disease outbreaks, detecting, decoding, and defending against pathogens from Ebola to COVID-19.

From October 7–9, 2024, the Centre marked its 10th anniversary (ACEGID@10) with a dynamic series of events that celebrated its pioneering journey and vision for the future. The celebrations featured the unveiling of the Institute of Genomic and Global Health (IGH), the One Health Genomics International Conference, and the Herbert Wigwe Memorial Garden cementing ACEGID’s reputation as a continental leader in genomics, innovation, and collaboration. Over 200 distinguished guests, including ministers, scientists, development partners, and thought leaders, gathered to honor a decade of excellence that continues to safeguard Africa and inspire the world.

From ACEGID to IGH: Elevating Africa’s Genomic Leadership

A defining moment of the ACEGID@10 celebration was the official transformation of ACEGID into the Institute of Genomic and Global Health (IGH), a strategic evolution that expands its reach, scope, and sustainability. This transition marks not just a name change but a paradigm shift in how Africa approaches genomics and public health innovation.

As a Centre of Excellence, ACEGID earned global acclaim for its groundbreaking work in genomic sequencing, diagnostics, and disease surveillance, playing a critical role in containing epidemics such as Ebola and COVID-19. With its elevation to an Institute formally unveiled by Barr. Jola Akintola, representing Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke ACEGID’s impact now extends across a broader, multidisciplinary landscape.

The IGH now serves as an umbrella institution encompassing the Africa Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, the One Health Research and Zoonotic Disease Surveillance Centre, the International Centre of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR), and the Human Genome Centre, among other emerging units. This structure promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation, and policy influence, strengthening Africa’s scientific self-reliance.

In the words of the ACEGID leadership, the new framework represents “continuity with elevation” building on a decade of achievements to create a future anchored in sustainability, institutional ownership, and global partnerships.

The centerpiece of the anniversary was the One Health Genomics International Conference, a high-level forum uniting global expert to discuss Africa’s leadership in genomic science and its growing influence on global health security. The conference highlighted ACEGID’s landmark contributions that have shaped disease control and scientific collaboration across the continent:

• • Ebola Response (2014): ACEGID confirmed the first Ebola case in Nigeria within six hours of sample collection, enabling swift contact tracing and containment. Its rapid diagnostic tests later earned emergency-use approvals from both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. FDA.
  • COVID-19 Pandemic (2020): ACEGID became the first African institution to sequence the SARS-CoV-2 genome, tracing viral mutations and informing global vaccine development. Recognized by WHO and Africa CDC, the centre was designated as one of only two continental hubs for infectious disease research, training, and innovation. It went on to train laboratory scientists from nine African countries, including Ethiopia, Guinea, Libya, and Morocco, in SARS-CoV-2 sequencing and bioinformatics.
  • Neglected Tropical Diseases: ACEGID expanded its research to malaria, Lassa fever, and other endemic threats, pioneering rapid diagnostic kits that strengthen early detection and community resilience.
  • ACEGID is first to in sub-Saharan Africa with the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 and the NovaSeq X Plus, which are high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) systems used for comprehensive genomic analysis. These powerful machines enable ACEGID to perform large-scale sequencing projects, such as whole-genome sequencing of humans, plants, and animals, to better understand infectious diseases and other genetic variations.
  • Through these achievements, ACEGID has trained over 1300 PhD, Masters and Professional short courses from more than 30 African countries (through ACE I and ACE Impact phases), equipping a new generation of genomic experts to tackle emerging health challenges.

The conference featured plenary sessions, poster exhibitions, and policy dialogues, focusing on investment in Africa’s research ecosystem, the future of One Health, and strategies to bridge the gap between genomic science and real-world public health outcomes.

ACEGID celebrations also paid tribute to Dr. Herbert Wigwe, the late CEO of Access Bank Plc, whose visionary philanthropy and unwavering support for science left an indelible mark on ACEGID’s mission. On October 4, 2024, the Herbert Wigwe Memorial Garden was inaugurated as a living tribute to his legacy.

The ceremony, attended by Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Group, and members of the Wigwe family, celebrated a man whose generosity and leadership helped empower African innovation. The garden now stands as a symbol of resilience, remembrance, and renewal a reminder that visionaries like Wigwe continue to inspire the pursuit of excellence across generations.

As ACEGID transitions into the Institute of Genomic and Global Health, its mission evolves but its commitment endures: to advance research, strengthen capacity, and foster global collaboration in genomic science.

Building on a decade of trailblazing achievements, the IGH is poised to position Africa at the forefront of genomic research and global health innovation ensuring that the continent is not just a participant but a leader in defining the science of tomorrow.

In its next chapter, ACEGID’s legacy continues stronger, broader, and more determined than ever to decode the future of health for Africa and the world.