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ACE Impact Experts Deliberate Strategies for Enhancing Sustainability and Bolstering Center Support to Attain Key Milestones by December 2025

The ongoing ACE Impact 10th Regional Workshop in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, featured an Experts Group meeting where thematic experts supporting the Centres of Excellence engaged in critical discussions and exchanges of experiences, to enrich their strategies and reinforce their support to the centres, as the project approaches its culmination in 2025.

The thematic expertise of the group encompasses the areas of Engineering, Energy/Environment, Water, Mining, Urban/Transport, Education, Health, Agriculture, ICT and Education, in alignment with the key focus areas of the ACE Impact Project.

The core topics guiding these discussions included sustainability, centre networks, and a dedicated focus on reviewing the newly established Moroccan partnerships since the last ACE Impact workshop in Morocco in May 2023.

The significant timeframes for the upcoming project period, which extends from present until December 2025, marking the deadline for the completion of all activities, were emphasized. Each expert was tasked with ensuring that their centres strictly adhere to these pivotal schedules and collaborate closely to accomplish the core targets. A detailed schedule was provided for the completion of all civil works, procurement, and other vital aspects of the project.

The essential sustainability aspects, which encompass economic, organizational, and environmental factors, were carefully discussed, and strategies to promote sustainability as a priority within the center-level activities were underscored. Methods for generating funding to support the centers related costs, such as research and innovation costs, education expenses, and operating costs were suggested. Emphasis was placed on promoting university cost-sharing and involving industry as part of the centre’s sustainability strategy.

Key revenue streams outlined to be pursued by the centres as part of their sustainability measures included grants, commercialised services, philanthropic contributions and partnerships with development and private sectors aligned with national and regional priorities.  It was reiterated that host institutions should serve as the primary source of funding for the centres, as they are the overall institution facilitating the activities of the centres.  The importance of visioning in terms of resourcing was underscored, helping to guide well budgeted plans and activities, in line with the goals and vision of the centres.

Concerning the key success factors contributing to the ongoing excellence and sustainability of the centres, it was emphasized that strong leadership, specialized programming or institutions, innovative curriculum and pedagogy, as well as a commitment to quality and gender inclusivity, are all indispensable. International partnerships, groundbreaking research, and innovations were recognized as core features of the typical centers of excellence brand, which should be vigorously pursued beyond the current project’s funding phase.

 

The Value of Networking as a Sustainability Measure

The expert meeting also featured an engagement session with the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), focusing on the ACE Partner Project. This initiative aims to promote the influence and collaboration of thematic research networks between African Centres of Excellence, and key actors in quality education and research, mobilised around national and regional developmental issues. It is an institutional collaboration between the World Bank, the Association of African Universities, the French Development Agency (AFD), the IRD, and Inria.

Currently, four networks are being supported under this project: Digital Science and Technology (DSTN), West African Network for Infectious Diseases ACE (WANIDA), Responsible Mining and Sustainable Development (AMR2D), and Sustainable Water Management (RES’ EAU). These networks have played a pivotal role in enhancing the research capacities of centers, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation, and focusing on the sustainability of the centers.

The meeting emphasized the significant value of the connections and platforms created for the centers to engage with each other through these thematic networks. Such platforms have yielded positive outcomes and fostered partnerships among the centers, leading to collaborative research, student exchanges, and various impressive initiatives.

As the Network’s funding under the IRD Project approaches its conclusion in 2024, the team discussed key lessons learned and the measures that contributed to the successes recorded by the networks.  The experts stressed the need for the networks to diversify their engagement and promote cross collaborations between the networks to further strengthen the quality impact being made. They also highlighted the importance for all partners, including themselves, gradually withdrawing from the role of facilitating the networks’ activities to promote self-sufficiency.  The proposal to engage in scenario planning to establish measures for expanding the networks and ensuring their effective operation beyond the funding period was stressed as a critical step.

In conclusion, the experts stressed the importance of ensuring that the networks’ activities complement those of the Centers of Excellence. They also encouraged the team to launch a campaign to effectively communicate the story, value proposition, and remarkable successes achieved by the Networks. Team members were also briefed by the IRD on a survey being conducted to elicit information for this campaign. The team received updates from the World Bank regarding the key goals to be achieved as the project concludes in 2025.

Vice Chancellors meet to explore lessons from international accreditation and impact evaluation

On the 1st of November 2023 Eunice Yaa Brimfah Ackwerh the Senior Education Specialist from the World Bank moderated a session for at least 40 Vice Chancellors and DLI7 focal persons to deliberate on key lessons from international accreditation exercises and the recently completed nimble impact evaluation of all the Africa Centres of Excellence – ACE 1, ACE 2 and ACE Impact.

Eunice Yaa Brimfah Ackwerh at the 10th ACE Impact Workshop
Eunice Yaa Brimfah Ackwerh speaking at the 10th ACE Impact Workshop

Three organisations dealing with international accreditation participated in this session, the Accreditation Agency for Study Programmes in Engineering, Informatics, Natural Sciences and Mathematics (ASIIN), the High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (HCERES) and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). Dr Zakia Mestari and Dr Pierre Courtellemont represented HCERES virtually, Dr. Iring Wasser from ASIIN attended the meeting in person and Dr Chris Bland from QAA participated virtually.

Lessons learned during the international accreditation processes.

Several important lessons were shared regarding international accreditation processes, and among these, it was emphasized that financial gain from disbursement linked results should not serve as a primary motivation for international accreditation. The motivation must be associated with the vision and strategy of the university to offer internationally accredited programs that facilitate student mobility and attract fee paying students from the region and beyond to ensure the sustainability of ACE Impact Centres.

Dr Iring Wasser conveyed additional insights which included the necessity for universities to engage in comprehensive preparation, the significance of accrediting teams showing cultural sensitivity, the importance of standardizing terminology, the need for universities to showcase ACE Impact Centres on their websites, the value of presenting concise and specific information and not voluminous data, and finally universities’ willingness to embrace innovative teaching methods.  The potential to create an African database containing internationally accredited programs and courses was identified. Such a database could serve as an integral part of a legal framework aimed at facilitating students’ mobility not only within Africa, but also on a global scale. The European Ministers of Education have approved a whitelist database of internationally accredited European programs to facilitate academic mobility among European countries.

What is the value of international accreditation?

The Vice Chancellors restated that international accreditation was a key ingredient in building trust in the national accrediting systems because of the global benchmarking. The University of Djibouti Vice Chancellor, Professor Djama Hassan Mohamed, said that his university had benefited from the international accreditation assessment process because it got all the university stakeholders involved. “The international accreditation process enables our students to present their credentials in other countries and empowers us as a university to progress towards maturity in terms of offering high quality programs and services.” – said Professor Djama Hassan Mohamed, the University of Djibouti VC.

Accreditation as a method of sustaining the ACE Impact Centres

International accreditation represents a viable strategy for ACE Impact centres to ensure their sustainability. This is because both institutional and program accreditation enhances the visibility and global recognition and acceptance of universities and programs among students, faculty, potential partners, and funding sources. An institution or program that holds international accreditation is better positioned to generate revenue through its academic and research offerings. There are opportunities for strengthening the relationship between national accreditation agencies and international accreditation agencies – especially around capacity building and keeping abreast of global accreditation trends. Emerging areas of accreditation include the certification of lifelong learning and micro-credentialing.

Nimble evaluation of the African Centers of Excellence and the need for long-term sustainability

Dr. Jamil Salmi, a World Bank Higher Education Consultant, led the Vice Chancellors through a reflection on the prospects for the sustainability of the ACE Impact centres and defining strategies for financial sustainability. “Much of the Centres had made impressive progress – sustainability was still a major concern because the majority of the centers operate primarily as project units and lack stable staff complements and durable institutional basis” – cautioned Dr Jamil. He also warned that “the pressure and need to generate resources may cause some centers to compromise their core teaching and research missions”.

Dr Jamil also advised the Vice Chancellors that “sustainability must be viewed as a shared responsibility involving the host institutions, governments, donor community and the ACE Impact centres. All actors must work together, there must be institutional autonomy, financial management must be aligned, and planning is of utmost importance from the outset”, added Dr Jamil.

A vibrant question and answer session followed Dr Jamil’s presentation and the inquiries included what the key characteristics of sustainable Centres were? What must universities do when governments reduced funding to universities that had high revenue generation profiles? What was the ACE Impact program sustainability strategy during the design of the project? Why should academics become business experts when their role is seeking knowledge for knowledge’s sake? Why do we focus on research commercialization and not on engaging the market before commencing in research activities?

The discussions concluded that projects such as the ACE Impact may not always be able to resolve national policies that are not functioning effectively. Instead, university leadership should maintain an ongoing dialogue with a broad spectrum of national stakeholders to address the policy challenges. Solving real industry problems is certainly the way towards arriving at demand driven products and services that would be easily commercialized. Some centers have developed their capacities for revenue generation and that of their host universities – however global experiences demonstrate that we need to take a long-term view of the time needed for the transformation of universities / centers.

Vice Chancellors discuss their roles in championing sustainability, setting priorities, and driving change within their institutions

As the ACE Impact Project comes to a close in June 2025, justifiably the issue of sustaining the 53 Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence for Development Impact (ACE Impact) projects located in 11 west African countries (including Djibouti) has taken center stage. Over the last decade, ACE Impact centres of excellence have contributed to the continent’s highest quality research and innovations, post-graduate training, infrastructure development, capacity building, achieved international accreditation, and collectively generated over US$75,000,000 in external funding. The ACE program has invested heavily in the development of strategic partnerships and thematic networks in order to ensure longevity. Incorporating sustainability measures into the ACE Impact Projects is therefore essential for maximizing the impact of investments, addressing the specific needs of African countries, and promoting long-term development for African higher education and research. These centres have produced outstanding results and achieved key milestones in the objective to find solutions to Africa’s development challenges and this work must continue beyond the World Bank Group and French Development Agency funded projects.

In accordance with project design, disbursement linked indicator seven (DLI7) is designed to facilitate the achievement of institutional impact goals by the ACE Impact hosting institution. The objective of DLI7 is to foster sustainability by encouraging host universities actively participate in crucial project components. This includes activities such as developing comprehensive regional strategies at the university level, undertaking open, merit-based competitive selection of senior university leaders, and conducting institution-wide international accreditation, gap assessments, and self-evaluations.

During the 10th ACE Impact Regional Workshop hosted in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire from 31st October to 3rd November 2023, a special panel was held for Vice Chancellors to discuss the sustainability of their ACE Impact Centers. This session took place on the 31st of October 2023 at Latrille Events Centre in Abidjan and was moderated by the Secretary General of the Association of African Universities Professor Olusola Bandele Oyewole. Professor Olufemi A. Peters the Vice Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria, Professor Rosemond Boohene the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, and Professor Ballao Zié the Vice Chancellor of Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Cote d’Ivoire participated in this panel to share their thoughts on the role of universities in creating an ecosystem for sustainability before the current financial project support comes to an end.

Challenges for sustaining the ACE Impact centres.

In response to the question on challenges around sustainability, Professor Olufemi A. Peters shared that Open Universities operated within a specific context and faced challenges related to limited technical infrastructure, limited access to devices and learning materials, irregular power supply, limited digital literacy of students and staff, academic integrity issues, and risks associated with cyberattacks. To address the challenges associated with regulatory framework support for online learning, the National Open University of Nigeria had involved the National Universities Commission in the planning and development of the open university programmes to create buy-in and assure the sustainability of the university.

Professor Ballao Zié suggested that it was important to prioritize innovative activities and promote a strong research culture and dynamic industry relations. He mentioned that challenges of sustaining the ACE Impact Centers included weak partnerships, the training needs of staff and students, and the unfavorable legal / regulatory frameworks that universities operate under.

Professor Rosemond Boohene emphasized that for ACE Impact Centres to ensure their sustainability, they need to align with their respective university vision and mission, secure strong backing from top management, and receive support from other university departments and administrative functions.

She gave examples of how the University of Cape Coast collaborated across the university units to deliver on DLI7 and DLI 5.3. To implement DLI7, a broad university team worked together on the regionalization strategy and international accreditation. The implementation of DLI 5.3, focused on entrepreneurship, involved a collaboration with the University’s Center for Entrepreneurship. According to Professor Boohene, her university’s most significant sustainability challenge was obtaining government support through a change in fiscal policy. A favourable fiscal policy adjustment would enable universities to secure larger budgets, tax exemptions for importing essential equipment, and financial resources to support the construction of coastal research infrastructure.

Discussions involving the broader workshop participants.

Professor Olusola Oyewole then led a discussion involving all the workshop participants and it focused on national policies hindering the sustainability of the ACE Impact Centres, challenges limiting research commercialization and experiences on how university leadership changes affected the continuity of the ACE impact Centres.

Are there national policies that don’t support the sustainability of the ACE Impact Centres?

The national policies that don’t support the sustainability of ACE impact Centres were said to include the Tuition Fees Policy which restricts public universities from charging competitive fees to support the running of quality MSc and PhD programs. The audience agreed that a commercial mindset would be helpful towards developing effective strategies for sustaining the ACE Impact Centres through the establishment of incubation centres, commercialization of research outputs and strengthening the relationships with industry players.

What are the challenges limiting commercialization of research outputs?

Barriers hindering universities from commercializing their research findings were identified as challenges in locating partners interested in specific patents, unfavourable legal regulations, and a lack of readiness among stakeholders to embrace the proposed products or inventions. Reliance on outside solutions, poorly developed university technology transfer centers, and weak connections with industry also limit commercialization of research outputs.

The participants recommended establishing university technology transfer offices as limited liability companies and staffing them with a diverse range of expertise to enhance their ability to effectively assist the universities. Further, governments could enforce enabling policies for productive sectors to partner with research centers and universities.

Do the changes in university leadership threaten the sustainability of the ACE Impact Centres?

Three Centre leaders testified that changes in the leadership of their universities had not affected the smooth running of the ACE Impact projects. The factors contributing to this seamless continuity included the formalization and documentation of associated agreements, the integration of Centre staff into the university’s main administration, and the outstanding performance of these Centres, which effectively demonstrated their ongoing viability and sustainability.  The participants advised that the Centre leaders should maintain transparency, engage with the broader university community, showcase the value of the Centre, and foster a collaborative team approach, rather than working as individuals. To sustain the ACE Impact centers, the academic and research programs should be highly appealing, the Centres need to prioritize establishing endowment funds, and ensure strong commitment and ownership from both the host institutions and the government authorities. It is imperative that the ACE Impact Project has a lasting and significant impact, by ensuring that the investments made continue to benefit the African higher education stakeholders well beyond the project’s conclusion.

ACE Impact achieves high aggregate performance – Nimble Evaluation Report

The Africa Centers of Excellence for Development Impact (ACE Impact) project has achieved notable figures (results), according to an independent evaluation, and is on track to exceeding the project’s overall objectives. Despite many challenges impacting its implementation, including the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, the project has produced innovative and groundbreaking research, maintained large scale enrollment, driven capacity building and more, becoming a model example for host universities, as well as the entire Africa higher education ecosystem. 

The independent nimble evaluation report findings were presented by Mr. Jamil Salmi, an education economist, on Tuesday, 31st October 2023 during the ongoing ACE Impact 10th regional workshop at Latrille Events, in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Mr. Salmi described the project as a ‘transformative program’ and ‘driver of change’ in the education sector. The report highlighted the overall significant progress and impact recorded by the project, especially in academic quality, sectorial engagement, regional networks, gender equity, and digitalization. The report sampled four ACE-participating countries—two anglophone (Ghana and Nigeria) and two francophone (Cote d’Ivoire and Niger)—for the independent rapid assessment, assessing program documentation, databases, interviews of country and centre team leaders for the entire ACE program series, encompassing ACE I, ACE II, and ACE Impact. 

As ACE Impact ends in June 2025, one major talking point raised in recent stakeholder engagements has been the project’s beyond-funding sustainability. It also emerged from the report that while some of the studied centres have weaned themselves off project funding and attained a sustainability status, having developed capacity for revenue generation for themselves as well as their host universities, other centers are working towards achieving the same effect. 

For these centers to be able to efficiently implement their long-term sustainability strategies and consolidate their gains, would depend not only on the centers themselves, but also their host universities, countries, and funders. Thus, while centers were encouraged to scale up resource diversification efforts focusing on continuing education and technology transfer, their host institutions were also incentivized to prioritize centers as part of the institutions’ research strategies, coordinate academic staff and administrative positions, and allocate budgetary resources to centers on a structural basis, such as scholarships for regional students. On their parts, Central governments and donor communities were respectively urged to adequately fund host institutions and centers and align with the universities’ long-term strategic plans. 

Standing tall as a story of success in the Africa higher education and scientific ecosystem, the ACE Impact project is jointly funded by World Bank Group and French Development Agency (AFD) and coordinated by the Association of African Universities (AAU).  

By consolidating their educational progress and capacity building successes whilst leveraging each other’s strengths and opportunities through collaborations, partnerships, and networking, centers are in a convenient position to individually and collectively contribute to the ACE project’s aim of enhanced quality and quantity of postgraduate education in Africa. 

Discussions of the nimble evaluation session of the 10th regional workshop were moderated by World Bank Senior Education Specialist and ACE Impact Core Team Leader, Dr Ekua Bentil. 

ACE Impact at 10 Celebrations Officially Launched in Abidjan Cote d’Ivoire

Representatives from the World Bank Group, the French Development Agency, the Association of African Universities, and the Ministry of Higher Education of Cote d’Ivoire have formally launched the ACE Impact at 10 (ACE@10) celebrations.

This pivotal launch event took place at the Latrille Events, Abidjan, as part of the official opening of the 10th Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence for Development (ACE Impact) Regional workshop, currently underway in Cote d’Ivoire – from October 31 – November 3, 2023.

Guided by the theme ‘A Decade of Advancing Postgraduate Education Excellence in Africa’, the celebrations will spotlight the enormous impact and key achievements realised under the ACE Impact project, while positioning and mapping out its future of endless possibilities for transforming Africa’s higher education landscape.

Dr. Ekua Bentil, Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank Group provided an insightful overview of the Africa Centres of Excellence Project. She stated that for nearly a decade, the World Bank has invested over $650 million in Sub-Saharan Africa through the ACE Program to enhance the quality of higher education to solve developmental challenges in the region. Dr. Bentil took participants down memory lane to 2012 when the World Bank, in consultation with African governments, recognised the need to support the strengthening of various universities and their teams to drive Africa’s transformation and champion development within the sub-region.

The engagements and partnership led to the launching of ACE I in the year 2014, which featured 22 centres from nine countries in west and central Africa – Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.  ACE II followed in 2016, supporting 24 centres in eight countries in Southern and Eastern Africa, specifically, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Following the significant successes achieved by the two phases of the project, the World Bank Group and the French Development Agency (AFD), in collaboration with African governments, launched the ACE Impact Project in 2018, to strengthen post-graduate training and applied research in existing fields, whilst supporting the development of new fields essential for Africa’s economic growth. ACE Impact is being implemented in 11 countries, with 53 centres, including 18 renewed from ACE I. Aside from the funding by the World Bank, Dr. Bentil highlighted the financial support provided by the French Development Agency (AFD), including €72 million to support Benin, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria, under ACE Impact.  The AFD has also contributed an additional €6 million to support the ACE Partner Project, an initiative aimed at promoting the influence and collaboration of thematic research networks between African Centres of Excellence, key actors in quality education and research, mobilised around national and regional developmental issues.

Dr. Sylvia Mkandawire, Senior Program Manager of ACE Impact at AAU, outlined the plans for the celebrations. These include the generation of articles documenting the project’s key achievements over the 10-year period, profiling innovations and research breakthroughs, highlighting students’ research and alumni impact, and producing documentaries on the project’s journey, among others. The pinnacle of the celebrations will be a project-level celebration event scheduled to take place in Ghana in 2024.

Country teams were encouraged to make plans to mark the ACE@10 celebrations at the local level and to spotlight the tremendous achievements of the project. Groundbreaking and lifesaving research have been consistently produced by these centres of excellence, on many occasions when Africa and the world have faced global pandemics and crisis. The development of innovative solutions and nurturing of high-level human capacity have remained at the forefront of the project and will continue to be key focus of African universities in the years to come.

Cote d’Ivoire Welcomes Africa’s Higher Education Stakeholders to the Landmark 10th ACE Impact Regional Workshop

Over 400 delegates from 23 countries have convened in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire for the 10th ACE Impact Regional Workshop, marking a critical milestone in the project’s pursuit of advancing higher education excellence in Africa. The workshop, taking place from October 31st to November 3rd, 2023, has brought together vice-chancellors, project teams, subject matter experts, government representatives from various African countries, policy think tanks and other stakeholders. High-level government officials from Cote d’Ivoire graced the workshop with their presence at the opening ceremony.  The central theme of sustainability is at the forefront of discussions as the project progresses towards its culmination in 2025.

Co-organised by the French Development Agency (AFD), the World Bank Group, and the Association of African Universities, in collaboration with the Ivorian Ministry of Higher Education, the workshop’s hybrid format combines virtual and onsite activities. The opening and closing ceremonies are being held at the Latrille Events, whiles other key workshop activities, including plenary, parallel sessions and steering committee and experts’ meetings, will be held from November 1st –2nd, 2023 at the Noom and Movenpick Hotels concurrently. The opening ceremony witnessed a compelling address by Mrs. Marie-Chantal Uwanyilligira, the World Bank Country Director for Cote d’Ivoire, who highlighted the critical role of Africa’s youth population. She underscored the projection that by 2050, Africa’s population will reach close to 2.5 billion, representing 35% of the world’s population and having the largest share of youth globally.  The heightened need to leverage the opportunities presented and change the ‘youthquake’ into an opportunity was said to be critical. ‘Timely, deliberate and purposive actions must be taken now to harness this demographic advantage effectively’ – said Mrs. Marie-Chantal.

Already, numerous successes of Africans solving Africa’s developmental challenges through innovations exist, as evidenced by the ACE Impact project, demonstrating that indeed, ‘Africa can’. The data demonstrates the remarkable strides the centres of excellence have made in addressing the continent’s most pressing needs and continue to do so in impactful ways.  Since 2014, Centres have trained 71, 987 students, published 8,528 research articles, and raised USD 170 million of externally generated funds. They now host over 116 internationally accredited programmes.

Education, research, and innovation were said to be pivotal in attaining a SMART economy and therefore needed to be prioritised and placed at the core of capitalising Africa’s demographic transition. Mrs. Marie-Chantal indicated that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is positively correlated with levels of education, STEM education and scientific output, thereby investment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and the encouragement of girls to take up studies and careers in the STEM fields needed to be promoted to boost country GDP.   Moreover, it was added that the ACE Impact project goes beyond training and graduating students, to innovating and driving solutions to Africa’s challenges. Stakeholders were invited to partner with the project teams and join in transforming Africa.

The workshop was officially opened by Prof. Arsène Kobéa, the Director of Cabinet of the Minister of Higher Education, who reiterated the numerous benefits of investing in human capital. He emphasised the need to strengthen collaboration between governments and academic institutions to overcome key challenges faced by their economies.  Prof. Kobéa called on African countries to promote sustainability and ensure that the various phases of the project, continue to drive innovation and economic growth.  Commending the efforts of the ACE Impact project’s facilitators and funders, he urged all stakeholders to contribute synergistically to building a stronger and more resilient continent.

Prof. Olusola Bandele Oyewole, the Secretary General of the Association of African Universities, underscored the importance of project sustainability, and encouraged robust collaboration and partnerships. He acknowledged the Ministry of Higher Education in Cote d’Ivoire for its pivotal role in hosting the workshop and recognised the unwavering commitment of government representatives, subject matter experts, the World Bank Group, AFD, AAU, and the 53 participating centers.

Highlighting the significance of the workshop, Prof Oyewole emphasised that “the workshop serves as a vital platform to assess the Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence project’s progress while providing the avenue for the sharing of knowledge, experiences, and innovations. The project’s collaborative spirit and innovation have had a profound impact, not only on academia but also on Africa’s socioeconomic and technological evolution”.

Prof. Oyewole encouraged participants to form robust collaborations and strategic partnerships with industry, governments, and international organizations, to leverage existing resources and expertise, citing that the trajectory of higher education and its role in sustainable development hinges upon the combined efforts of all stakeholders. The Association of African Universities’ commitment to supporting the various key components of ACE Impact and the common goal of advancing higher education in Africa was reaffirmed. He also encouraged the pursuit of funding opportunities from diverse sources to sustain and expand the programme beyond the World Bank and AFD funding.

Representing the French Development Agency, (AFD), Mr. Lionel Yondo, the Regional Director for Gulf of Guinea, urged stakeholders to harness Africa’s geographical dividends and the various opportunities.  He highlighted the transformative role of the 53 centres in achieving tangible results across various thematic areas. Emphasizing the achievements of the centres in the areas of scientific publications in high-impact journals, number of PhDs trained, attraction of externally generated funds, among others.  Mr. Yondo stressed the need for close collaboration with governments and the effective leverage and use of stable resources.

The workshop came to a close with the official launch of the 10-year Anniversary of the ACE Impact project (ACE@10), which will be celebrated in 2024 to mark a decade of remarkable achievements and contributions to Africa’s development.

The Move Towards Digitalisation of the Water and Sanitation Sector

In the face of rising populations, changing demographics, natural disasters among others, the adoption of digital solutions, is a highly needful measure in catalysing innovations and supporting smarter water management. Digitally transforming Africa’s water and sanitation sectors is again critical in addressing the myriad of challenges confronting these sectors. 

According to a 2022 special report by the UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets on water, sanitation and hygiene in Africa will require a dramatic acceleration in the current rates of progress. A statement released on this report projects that Africa requires a 12-fold increase in current rates of progress on safely managed drinking water and a 20-fold increase for safely managed sanitation to achieve its SDG targets.    

Higher education is indeed well placed to champion the digital transformation of the water and sanitation industry through the conduction of research, development of new knowledge, training of highly skilled manpower, leveraging start-of-the-art laboratories to develop new technologies and creating important platforms to educate and facilitate dialogue among stakeholders in the sector, as well as the public, just to mention a few.  

In a move to address the underlying challenges confronting the ICT and water/ sanitation sectors, the Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre, Kumasi (RWESCK), hosted by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), together with its partners are working to address the skill gaps identified in the application of digital innovations and smart circular economy in water and sanitation utilities management.   

Speaking at a national workshop on Digital Transformation Skills Development in the water and sanitation sector in Ghana, Prof. Sampson Oduro-Kwarteng, the Centre Director for RWESCK called on tertiary institutions across the continent to review their curriculum to include digital education in order to produce industry-ready graduates equipped with the requisite skills to transform the sector.  The centre is leading the way, by training over 300 PhDs and more than 200 master’s students from across the region on digital skills.  

Under the Nyansapo project, which is funded by the French Embassy in Ghana and implemented by RWESCK, the centre is focusing on introducing digital transformation skills into water and sanitation education to enhance the employability of young Ghanaian graduates with digitalisation innovation skills during their masters training, research and internship periods.

Again, RWESK has undertaken various projects aimed at employing innovative solutions to addressing water and sanitation issues. These include the 13 million Euros SWITCH project funded by the European Commission initiated to adopt modern technologies in realizing sustainable urban water management. That notwithstanding, the ACE Impact project has been instrumental in contributing to the centre’s overarching goal of delivering quality education and applied research at world-class standards. 

Breaking Barriers in Digital Innovation – The Story of Fatoumata Thiam

Fatoumata Thiam is a PhD student at the Centre of Excellence in Mathematics, Informatics, and Applications (CEA-MITIC) in Senegal. Her research focuses on Self-optimized Irrigation System based on the Internet of Things (IoT) in the Sahel. The Sahel is characterized by desertification and advancement of the sea, which accounts for limited access to arable farmland, as well as increased urbanization that threatens water resources. The resultant conditions are affecting farmers and their yields significantly, with the need for immediate advanced alternative irrigation. Ms. Thiam’s study aims to provide modern and affordable technology to farmers in water management, and precision irrigation with IoT. 

Fatoumata noted that she developed a passion for science at an early age which influenced her choice of study. She stated:

“I’ve always loved science and I grew up in it. Very early on I had access to computers, digital equipment, music players, etc. and it has always caught my attention and curiosity. The operation behind these technologies has always aroused my curiosity. Later, when the opportunity to do computer science at university arose, I seized it.” 

Noting some challenges, Fatoumata indicated that as a woman in a male-dominated area of IT, she is faced with gender-related impediments. She said “It can be difficult to evolve in this professional environment where the majority are men.  As a woman, one may face unique barriers in the IT industry, such as work-life balance. For example, being more likely to take time off to care for our families can affect career progression.  It is important to recognize that women have an important place in the information technology industry and must be treated fairly and justly.  Conscious efforts should be made to remove barriers and promote an inclusive and diverse work environment for all.” In spite of these challenges, her family has been a robust support system for her growth and career path. 

In the future, Fatoumata seeks to further broaden her horizon in IT and its related fields. She looks forward to commercializing her research on a large scale for maximum impact. She believes that with the necessary support and mentorship, women possess the ability to provide solutions and positively impact the digital sector.  

Building Towards a Vibrant Biotech Start-up Ecosystem in West Africa

Since 2018, WACCBIP began a series of efforts to engage local biotech industries. In the process, the Centre discovered that the biotech ecosystem in Ghana, and by extension, in West Africa, are less dynamic and had little capacity for the uptake of biomedical innovation originating from Ghana. Consequently, the Centre reviewed its strategy to focus on enabling the set-up of biotech startups within Ghana and West Africa. This led to the creation of a cancer immunogenetics start-up, Yemaachi Biotech, a brainchild of a WACCBIP research fellow, Dr. Yaw Bediako.  WACCBIP closely supported the start-up and has since partnered with Yemaachi in some of its COVID-19 studies. Yemaachi Biotech, which has raised over $ 4 million, in 2022 performed the first human exome sequencing in Ghana.   

To inspire and enable the next generation of the indigenous biotech industry, the Centre’s first step is the develop a Biotech Entrepreneurship programme in collaboration with the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) Innovation Hub, and the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST). The programme will encapsulate a training course, and a business incubation programme, run concurrently. In addition, the centre is implementing a small projects scheme to provide funding support to innovative, industry relevant research projects proposed and run by WACCBIP students and faculty: 

  1. The Essentials of Biotech Entrepreneurship Training Course- The Biotech Entrepreneurship Training Course is a one-month sessional course with at least 7 contact sessions. The course will have an in-person format with expert facilitators sourced from our training partners.  
  2. The Business Incubation Programme will be a 3-month business ideation and pitch development programme. Outstanding trainees from the training course, as well as other WACCBIP students and alumni with good business ideas, from the training course will be selected for the incubation programme. The incubation programme will provide advanced training in entrepreneurship, product development, finance, etc. Through the incubation process, trainees will develop their products and develop their business models under the mentorship of experienced scientists and biotech industry experts. At the end of the training programme, trainees will have prototypes and feasible business models, ready for execution. The final stage of the programme is a final pitch competition amongst the trainees, to select the most well-developed and feasible ideas for funding. Seed funding will be awarded to selected, outstanding business pitch ideas.   
  3. The ‘small projects’ scheme is a funding scheme for innovative, and industry-relevant research projects led by WACCBIP students and faculty. Each year, students and faculty members will be allowed to submit projects, which have the potential to be taken up by the industry. These projects will be screened, with the projects demonstrating the greatest potential, selected for funding.  

 Moreover, through several networks, WACCBIP is driving innovation in the West African sub region. The centre joins, lead and co-lead a number of projects aimed at enhancing South-South Collaborations and through these are helping to build the innovative capacity of other partners. Currently, WACCBIP is a vaccine development hub for the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), as well as a coordinating centre for the West African Network of Infectious Disease ACEs (WANIDA). The centre has leveraged these to train partner institutions in Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin and Togo in next-generation sequencing techniques. 

CEALT Students Win 2023 AUF Hackathon for Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Students of the Centre of Excellence in Logistics and Transport (CEALT) hosted by the University of Djibouti once again emerged winners in the 2023 Hackathon organized by the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF). Represented by a team of five-  Mr Aboubaker Yassin Cheik-Frah (MSc Civil Engineering), Mr Kadar Youssouf Ahmed (MSc Civil Engineering), Mr Mohamed Saïd Mahamoud (MSc Electrical and Energy Engineering), Mr Abdi Omar Obsieh (MSc Electrical and Energy Engineering)
Ms Oumoukaltoum Youssouf Ahmed (DUT- Commerce, Option marketing technology), CEALT competed against Universities of Alexandria and Cairo in Egypt, and other universities in Lebanon.  

Noting the existing timing and scheduling challenges in the Djibouti public transport system, the CEALT team developed Baskaagi – an AI powered application that tracks and provides real-time bus routes, schedules and delays, while providing tailored planning features. 

Baskaagi aims to make life easier for citizens by giving them access to real-time information on bus services and optimising their routes to save users time, while improving their travel experience. In the long term, Baskaagi could be a widely used application across East Africa, benched on cutting-edge technologies to help improve transport infrastructure and create new economic opportunities for the local people.

Baskaagi represents a promising initiative to solve public transport problems in Djibouti and across East Africa, using technological innovation and artificial intelligence to improve the accessibility and efficiency of public transport services. 

The Hackathon provided a unique opportunity for the teams to create innovative projects that explored possibilities offered by Artificial Intelligence to respond to key challenges in the priority areas of Logistics and Transport, Health, Economy and Education. The teams were selected following a competitive and rigorous selection process including idea pitching.  The selected teams also benefited from training and coaching sessions held to nurture their ideas and potential.  

CEALT’s sterling performance at the Hackathon is worthy of note since it is not the centre’s first win. In 2022, the centre’s EcoLAIR project was announced as the winner at the AUF Hackathon. Aimed at promoting waste recycling, the EcoLAIR- an air conditioning system was created from recycled bottles.  

CEALT continues provides quality training relevant to producing the next generation of engineers and IT specialists needed to bridge developmental gaps through research and innovations. 

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