CERSA to collaborate with animal genetics company to conduct experiments

 

The African Center of Excellence on Avian Sciences (CERSA) has signed a partnership agreement with Hendrix Genetics to conduct experiments on genetic strains of poultry (layers). Hendrix Genetics is a multi-national company that specializes in multi species animal breeding, genetics and technology. It is based in the Netherlands.

The agreement is part of the cooperative partnership between the University of Lomé through CERSA and Hendrix Genetics. The agreement states that “the results of the experiments will become property of CERSA, which will give Hendrix Genetics the right to use the results for a mutually agreed period of time”. For the start of these experiments, Hendrix Genetics will make available to CERSA a total of 3600 day-old chicks.

This initiative falls in line with the Project’s objective to promote partnerships between the African Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE) institutions and industries.

The African Center of Excellence on Avian Sciences (CERSA) hosted by the University of Lomé, Togo is one of six African Centers of Excellence in the thematic discipline of Agriculture. The Center trains students of different nationalities for the development and promotion of poultry production in Africa.

ACE for Development Impact – Stakeholders meet to discuss strengthening and scaling up the Project

Stakeholders of the Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE) Project in West and Central Africa, including Ministers of various countries in the region, have met to deliberate on ways to strengthen the development impact of the ACE project.  Discussions on scaling up the activities of high performing centers and increasing the number of participating countries were also key on the agenda.

Held in Dakar, Senegal on January 16-17, 2018, the meeting was attended   by sector ministers or their representatives, experts, and other stakeholders from Burkina Faso, Guinea, Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin Republic, Ghana, Djibouti, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Gabon, Mauritius, Gambia, Senegal, Togo, China, Kenya, USA and Spain. Representatives from the World Bank, ECOWAS and the Association of African Universities (AAU), were also in attendance.

Presentations made at the meeting outlined the performances and challenges of the initial phase of the Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence Project (ACE I), as well as lessons learnt in project implementation, which should feed into the ACE for Development Impact (ACE III) Project. It was indicated that ACE I had proven productive with regard to enrollment, partnerships, graduate Internships, National and International Accreditations, and external funding. Over 12, 000 students have for instance, been enrolled in post graduate programmes while 11 programmes have attained international accreditation with several others gaining national accreditation, since the inception of the ACE 1 project.   Some Centers have also generated considerable external funding.  One such example is the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP, Ghana),  which has been able to generate US$ 10 million from external sources.

Participants of the Dakar meeting were also briefed on the selection process, sector prioritization and status of the ACE for Impact Development (ACE III) Project.

As the Regional Facilitating Unit for the ACE III Project, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) represented by Professor Hamidou Boly, Commissioner for Education, Science and Culture, explained the role of the Commission in promoting Higher Education policies within the region. The Commissioner noted that, ACE III Project activities would be implemented through one of the Commission’s Higher Education specialized agencies.

The Association of African Universities (AAU) assured the meeting of its constant support to the project as well as its willingness to work with ECOWAS through the  provision of regional technical services such as Monitoring and Evaluation, Verification, Organization of Workshops and related Logistics.

The Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE) was launched in April, 2014 and was introduced by the World Bank in collaboration with the governments of selected countries in Africa. It is aimed at enhancing specialization in addressing common regional development challenges through high quality training and applied research. ACE I has 22 centers in 8 countries (from West and Central Africa), while ACE II has 24 centers in 8 Countries (from East and Southern Africa).

AAU is the Regional Facilitation Unit (RFU) for ACE I while the Inter University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) manages ACE II.

ACE III Project to Commence this year

 

Following the success of the phase 1 of the African Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) project, The World Bank in conjunction with the RFU and African Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE 1) recognized the need to escalate the success and expand the benefits accrued to the Centres and their Countries.  This decision gave birth to ACE III which was announced at the ACE I & ACE II Joint Workshop held in November, 2017 at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra, Ghana.

ACE III will focus on increasing the quality and relevance of post-graduate education in selected universities through regional specialization, applied research, upfront University-Industry linkage and better Regional and International coordination. ACE III is not an absolute replacement for ACE I, but rather seeks to build on the success achieved and expand the reach of the benefits from ACE I. It further aims at upscaling performing Centers hence, only performing ACE I Centers will be upgraded to ACE III. The Regional Facilitation Unit for the ACE III is the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Secretariat. Regional services such as Monitoring and Evaluation, Verification and Logistics will be provided by the Association of African Universities (AAU) on consultancy basis.

Centers will be selected as part of ACE III based on prior performance in ACE I. The selection criteria will emphasize on productivity of Centers in meeting targets and also making regional impacts, strengthening institutional support, strengthening industry/sector engagement and commitment.

Potential ACE III Centres should have an Advisory Board, applicable measures to initiate institutional and governmental partnerships, encourage increase in female enrollment and also plan for sustainability of the Centres after the project comes to an end, thus, alternative sources of revenue. Again, Centers involved in ACE III should have a foundational structure and a regional network with regards to faculty training and curriculum development.

ACE III looks forward to creating strong links with existing ACEs and Upgrading existing academic programme among others.

It is expected to kick start in March. The Evaluation and selection process will consist of a Desk Review followed by a Panel discussion and later, site visit if a submitted proposal meets the required criteria. The purport of this process is to ensure the selection procedure meets International standards.

Proposals are due to be submitted on June 2018, whilst the Desk and Panel Review as well as the site visits will be held in late June and July/August 2018 respectively.

The AAU wishes all interested ACE I centers the very best of luck and a successful New Year!!!

 

Carnegie African Diaspora Program Connects African Universities with Diaspora Scholars

New grants will enable 52 African Universities to Host 70 African-born Scholars for collaborative projects

Application now open for 2017 Fellowships; Deadline is Dec. 8th

NEW YORK, October 11, 2016 – A higher education fellowship that was created to help avert brain drain in Africa will fund 69 new projects at African universities in the coming months, bringing 52 professors and scholars from universities in the U.S. and Canada to universities in Africa to Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda as visiting Fellows. Together, the teams will develop curricula, conduct research, teach graduate students, and train and mentor students and professors in priority areas that were proposed by the African universities. The program is also accepting new applications from host universities and diaspora scholars for projects to be conducted in 2017.

Now in its fourth year, the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program has helped 239 African-born scholars who have been living and working in North America to connect with their peers at universities throughout Africa. The program is designed to build capacity at the host institutions in Africa, and to develop long-term, mutually-beneficial partnerships between the universities. The Fellowships are funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York and managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) in Kenya provides strategic direction through Dr. Paul Tiyambe Zeleza and an Advisory Council he chairs. The program selects projects that were proposed by the host universities and matches them with African-born scholars, covering the visiting scholars’ expenses, including transportation, a daily stipend, and the cost of obtaining visas and health insurance.

This year, the program has announced grants to alumni to build on successful collaborative projects they conducted on their visiting fellowships in previous years, and to fund groups of fellows to work together in order to deepen the ties among the faculty members and their home and host institutions. Selected projects that will receive funding this year include the following:

  • Ghana: A professor from Duke University will return to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to conduct applied research in geo-environmental engineering and to continue mentoring graduate students to the completion of their dissertations.
  • Nigeria: The University of Benin and Imo State University will host a group of three scholars to design an HIV/AIDS curriculum for faculty and a train-the-trainer curricula for community education.
  • South Africa: Cape Peninsula University of Technology and Stellenbosch University will jointly host a scholar from the University of British Columbia in Canada to cultivate their expertise in vascular biology while establishing a lab that will be made available to institutions of higher learning in the Western Cape.
  • Tanzania: An early-childhood scholar will evaluate and offer feedback on the current early curriculum at Aga Khan University-Institute of for Educational Development in East Africa. The scholar and faculty members will also explore the involvement of teachers and parents in gender awareness and literacy stereotypes.

Call for Project Requests and Scholar Applications
From October 1 until December 8, universities in eligible host countries (Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda) can submit a project request for visiting Fellows to come to their universities starting in May 2017. African-born academics residing in the United States or Canada can apply any time, and are matched with accepted projects on a rolling basis. Prospective hosts and fellows can find eligibility requirements and instructions in the “How to Apply” section of the program’s website. Prospective hosts and fellows can work together to develop specific projects. The Advisory Council encourages projects that involve collaboration between multiple institutions and cohorts of faculty members addressing related topics.

Advisory Council Sets Selection Priorities for Fall 2016:
In the Fall 2016 selection cycle, preferred activities are collaborative research and graduate student teaching/mentoring, though curriculum co-development projects may also be funded. Other preferred project types include:

  • Multi-institutional projects
  • Cohort projects
  • Interdisciplinary, thematically structured projects

Please direct all questions related to the application process to AfricanDiaspora@iie.org.

About the Hosts and Fellows

Public and private higher education institutions in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda were invited to submit a project request to host a scholar for 14 to 90 days. Prospective hosts could, but were not required to, name a proposed scholar in a project request. The proposed scholar and project request were each evaluated by a review committee and were subject to approval by the Advisory Council. Many African institutions and prospective Fellows collaborated on ideas for a project that were submitted by the institutions. IIE also maintains a scholar roster to facilitate matches, according to the discipline specializations, expertise, activities and objectives described in a project request. Scholars born in Africa who live in the United States or Canada and work at an accredited college or university in either of those two countries applied to be on the roster of available candidates.  Candidates were required to have a terminal degree in their field and can hold any academic rank. For Fellows matched with a selected project, the fellowship includes a daily stipend, transportation and visa funds and health insurance coverage.

About the Institute of International Education
The Institute of International Education (IIE) is the leader in providing international education strategies and program services. Our international approach to education—diverse, borderless, impactful—is a proven way for governments and companies to invest in global talent and solidify overseas relationships. We work with policymakers, educators and employers across the globe to prepare students and professionals for the global workforce and equip them to solve the increasingly complex challenges facing our interconnected world. An independent, not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE designs and implements over 250 programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government and private sources. IIE has a network of 19 offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,400 member institutions.

About United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa)
United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) was founded in 1969 as the Africa campus of United States International University in San Diego, California.  Today, the University operates as an independent, not-for-profit institution serving over 6000 students representing 73 nationalities. It offers 24 degree programs from undergraduate to doctoral level, all of which are accredited in Kenya and the United States of America with the Commission for University Education and Senior Colleges and Universities Commission, WASC respectively.

About Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 “to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.” In keeping with this mandate, the Corporation’s work focuses on the issues that Andrew Carnegie considered of paramount importance: international peace, the advancement of education and knowledge and the strength of our democracy.

Source: https://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=1c2990d53535fcb3c05526d43&id=94486d0fe4&e=813a818b70

ACE I and ACE II Universities encouraged to Continue the Great Work!

The Joint ACE I and ACE II Projects workshop was concluded on a high note at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra Ghana (9 November 2017). The key take away message for the ACE I and ACE II universities was that they must continue the great work that they are doing and improve in areas where they were lagging behind.

The third and last day of the workshop featured four main sessions.

  1. The University Industry Linkages Session was facilitated by Javier Botero (Lead education specialist, World Bank.  The session contained three presentations of international and African case studies. These presentations highlighted successes, lessons learnt and what the ACEs can do to strengthen University- Industry Linkages.  
  2. The second session featured the thematic reports of proceedings from the various parallel sessions held on days one and two. The reports from the Agriculture, Health, and STEM teams captured discussions on Centre management, challenges, improving collaborations and securing their universities’ full support, among others.
  3. The third session was the wrap-up for the ACE project workshop. Thefacilitators of both ACE I and ACE II projects made presentations. The World Bank Team shared information on the upcoming ACE III Project – and covered the objectives/goals, selective process and timelines. The key next steps over the next 6 months were also discussed and these include Financial and Procurement Reporting Milestones; Verification and Disbursements; General implementation support and supervision; Country /regional level milestones and ACE Extension and Reallocation. 
  4. The day ended with an official closing ceremony followed by field visits to the WACCI and WACCBIP Centers of Excellence both situated at the University of Ghana campus.   

 

Please complete the online Workshop Evaluation Survey

One of the most important methods that we use to improve the organization of our meetings is to conduct an online feedback survey at the end of each meeting. We therefore plead that you take 10 minutes of your valuable time to complete this survey because it will help us to know how we have done. This is the link to the survey: https://www.research.net/r/2017-ACEI-II 

 

Useful Links for Downloads

  1. Workshop Presentations Collected: https://tinyurl.com/y8vohhdp
  2. News Report by the Ghana news Agency: https://tinyurl.com/yavq5c8b
  3. ACE article on IUCEA website: https://tinyurl.com/ya6se2ml
  4. All Workshop Photos: https://tinyurl.com/yb4ppmsk
  5. Workshop Evaluation Survey Link: https://www.research.net/r/2017-ACEI-II 

ACE III Project to Commence this year

 

Following the success of the phase 1 of the African Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) project, The World Bank in conjunction with the RFU and African Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE 1) recognized the need to escalate the success and expand the benefits accrued to the Centres and their Countries.  This decision gave birth to ACE III which was announced at the ACE I & ACE II Joint Workshop held in November, 2017 at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra, Ghana.

ACE III will focus on increasing the quality and relevance of post-graduate education in selected universities through regional specialization, applied research, upfront University-Industry linkage and better Regional and International coordination. ACE III is not an absolute replacement for ACE I, but rather seeks to build on the success achieved and expand the reach of the benefits from ACE I. It further aims at upscaling performing Centers hence, only performing ACE I Centers will be upgraded to ACE III. The Regional Facilitation Unit for the ACE III is the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Secretariat. Regional services such as Monitoring and Evaluation, Verification and Logistics will be provided by the Association of African Universities (AAU) on consultancy basis.

Centers will be selected as part of ACE III based on prior performance in ACE I. The selection criteria will emphasize on productivity of Centers in meeting targets and also making regional impacts, strengthening institutional support, strengthening industry/sector engagement and commitment.

Potential ACE III Centres should have an Advisory Board, applicable measures to initiate institutional and governmental partnerships, encourage increase in female enrollment and also plan for sustainability of the Centres after the project comes to an end, thus, alternative sources of revenue. Again, Centers involved in ACE III should have a foundational structure and a regional network with regards to faculty training and curriculum development.

ACE III looks forward to creating strong links with existing ACEs and Upgrading existing academic programme among others.

It is expected to kick start in March. The Evaluation and selection process will consist of a Desk Review followed by a Panel discussion and later, site visit if a submitted proposal meets the required criteria. The purport of this process is to ensure the selection procedure meets International standards.

Proposals are due to be submitted on June 2018, whilst the Desk and Panel Review as well as the site visits will be held in late June and July/August 2018 respectively.

The AAU wishes all interested ACE I centers the very best of luck and a successful New Year!!!

 

ACE I and ACE II Universities encouraged to Continue the Great Work!

The Joint ACE I and ACE II Projects workshop was concluded on a high note at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra Ghana (9 November 2017). The key take away message for the ACE I and ACE II universities was that they must continue the great work that they are doing and improve in areas where they were lagging behind.

The third and last day of the workshop featured four main sessions.

  1. The University Industry Linkages Session was facilitated by Javier Botero (Lead education specialist, World Bank.  The session contained three presentations of international and African case studies. These presentations highlighted successes, lessons learnt and what the ACEs can do to strengthen University- Industry Linkages.  
  2. The second session featured the thematic reports of proceedings from the various parallel sessions held on days one and two. The reports from the Agriculture, Health, and STEM teams captured discussions on Centre management, challenges, improving collaborations and securing their universities’ full support, among others.
  3. The third session was the wrap-up for the ACE project workshop. Thefacilitators of both ACE I and ACE II projects made presentations. The World Bank Team shared information on the upcoming ACE III Project – and covered the objectives/goals, selective process and timelines. The key next steps over the next 6 months were also discussed and these include Financial and Procurement Reporting Milestones; Verification and Disbursements; General implementation support and supervision; Country /regional level milestones and ACE Extension and Reallocation. 
  4. The day ended with an official closing ceremony followed by field visits to the WACCI and WACCBIP Centers of Excellence both situated at the University of Ghana campus.   

 

Please complete the online Workshop Evaluation Survey

One of the most important methods that we use to improve the organization of our meetings is to conduct an online feedback survey at the end of each meeting. We therefore plead that you take 10 minutes of your valuable time to complete this survey because it will help us to know how we have done. This is the link to the survey: https://www.research.net/r/2017-ACEI-II 

 

Useful Links for Downloads

  1. Workshop Presentations Collected: https://tinyurl.com/y8vohhdp
  2. News Report by the Ghana news Agency: https://tinyurl.com/yavq5c8b
  3. ACE article on IUCEA website: https://tinyurl.com/ya6se2ml
  4. All Workshop Photos: https://tinyurl.com/yb4ppmsk
  5. Workshop Evaluation Survey Link: https://www.research.net/r/2017-ACEI-II 

Highlights from Day 2 of the Joint ACE I and ACE II Workshop

The day (7 November 2017) began with a recap of the previous day’s activities. The recap featured the highlights from the opening ceremony, plenary and parallel sessions.

Four exciting plenary sessions were held today (8 November 2017). Each plenary session ended with a question and answer session following the presentations. In addition to the four plenary sessions, there were also parallel sessions for ACE networking collaborative Networks, performance and support discussions; and ACE help desks.

(1) Plenary session on International Accreditation and Quality Assurance – was chaired by the Honorable Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology of the Gambia, Mr. Badara A. Joof. Two presentations were made – with the first presentation focusing on the activities and procedures followed by HCRES in the quality assurance process; whilst the second presentation highlighted ABET’S criteria and processes for Accreditation.

(2) Plenary Session on Verification and Monitoring and Evaluation – was also chaired by the Minister of Education of Gambia. It featured a presentation by the World Bank and the AAU. The lessons learnt from ACE I were shared with the ACE II team in relation to the four Disbursement Linked Indicators. The results of an independent student survey undertaken was also shared with the participants.

(3) Plenary Session on Financial Management – was facilitated by Mrs. Eunice Akwere. The ACE I experience on the Financial Management Disbursement Linked Indicators was shared. The Audit requirements and financial performances of the ACEs, as well as the challenges and way forward were also shared and discussed.

(4) Plenary session on Graduate Tracer Studies and Institutional Benchmarking – was the last session for the day and was chaired by Dr. Ekua Bentil. The session focused on Higher Education Management Data Analytics. The presentation by Dr. Wang Boqingdiscussed the use of tracer tools to improve the performance of the Higher Education sector and build capacity in African Higher Education Institutions.

DOWNLOADS

Highlights from Day 2 of the Joint ACE I and ACE II Workshop

The day (7 November 2017) began with a recap of the previous day’s activities. The recap featured the highlights from the opening ceremony, plenary and parallel sessions.

Four exciting plenary sessions were held today (8 November 2017). Each plenary session ended with a question and answer session following the presentations. In addition to the four plenary sessions, there were also parallel sessions for ACE networking collaborative Networks, performance and support discussions; and ACE help desks.

(1) Plenary session on International Accreditation and Quality Assurance – was chaired by the Honorable Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology of the Gambia, Mr. Badara A. Joof. Two presentations were made – with the first presentation focusing on the activities and procedures followed by HCRES in the quality assurance process; whilst the second presentation highlighted ABET’S criteria and processes for Accreditation.

(2) Plenary Session on Verification and Monitoring and Evaluation – was also chaired by the Minister of Education of Gambia. It featured a presentation by the World Bank and the AAU. The lessons learnt from ACE I were shared with the ACE II team in relation to the four Disbursement Linked Indicators. The results of an independent student survey undertaken was also shared with the participants.

(3) Plenary Session on Financial Management – was facilitated by Mrs. Eunice Akwere. The ACE I experience on the Financial Management Disbursement Linked Indicators was shared. The Audit requirements and financial performances of the ACEs, as well as the challenges and way forward were also shared and discussed.

(4) Plenary session on Graduate Tracer Studies and Institutional Benchmarking – was the last session for the day and was chaired by Dr. Ekua Bentil. The session focused on Higher Education Management Data Analytics. The presentation by Dr. Wang Boqingdiscussed the use of tracer tools to improve the performance of the Higher Education sector and build capacity in African Higher Education Institutions.

DOWNLOADS

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

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