Africa Higher Education Fair 2018

As part of the Ninth ACE workshop, the maiden Higher Education Fair will be organized under the scope of the regional project, Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE). The ACE Higher Education Fair would be of interest to students, professors, working adults, members of the industry and the general public seeking higher education opportunities in Africa.

Objectives of the Fair

The goal of the ACE Higher Education Fair is to provide an interactive platform and to inform students and faculty, about the programs offered by the ACEs. Specially, the Fair aims to achieve the following objectives:

  1. Provide a platform for all ACEs to present and promote locally and internationally, their programs and activities through currents ACE students and faculty presentations, brochures and picture displays.
  2. Provide faculty exchange opportunities for faculty interested in joining the ACEs.
  3. Provide opportunities to all ACEs to recruit students to their various courses by offering face-to-face interactions with aspiring students, career guidance educators and working professionals planning to pursue further studies Africa.
  4. Provide opportunities to students and faculties to better know World Bank activities and achievements, and be part of the World Bank potential staff roster.

ACE Higher Education Fair, opens to the public on Monday May 7, 2018 at 2iE Campus, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from 9 am to 5pm.

All Higher Education Institutions (faculty and students), industry stakeholders, government and the general public are invited.

OAU- ICT Driven Knowledge Park calls for University- Industry linkage in ICT

 

The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) – ICT Driven Knowledge Park has called on the private sector to partner with the University and benefit from its knowledge and skills in technology and innovations. OAU in collaboration with the Nigeria Computer Society organized a one- day university-industry linkage forum themed ‘Rethinking Academia-Industry Engagement’ at the Sheraton Hotel Lagos.

OAU is one of the Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence funded by the World Bank to strengthen the capacities of Universities to deliver high quality training to meet the demand for skills required for Africa’s development.

Speaking at the forum, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, the Pro- Chancellor and Chairman of the University Council, called on industry stakeholders to partner with the institution and benefit from its ICT potentials. He stated, “We need to build a stronger interface between academia and the industry. Industry participation and synergy on this project will be of immense benefit to the student community, the academia and the industry.”

He also noted that OAU was ready to create the platform for the University and industry to jointly identify challenges facing the country and design the needed solutions, and also provide jobs and wealth creation in the process.  Dr. Ogunbiyi also stated that the park is being positioned as a recognized model ICT Park and hub in the sub- region which links academia and industry to proffer solutions to local problems.

He added, “The intent here is that such solutions will be innovative and commercialized. It is our desire therefore that companies can take up structures or spaces in the park, creating proximity to the university’s intellectual infrastructure of our faculty and the reservoir of knowledge resident within our active student population.”

The co-leader of the Centre who also doubles as the President of the Nigeria Computer Society, Professor G.A Aderoumu speaking at the event stated that, the World Bank earmarked eight million USD for the setting up of the park, which is near completion and would be fully commissioned in May.

Also present at this event was the OAU Vice Chancellor. Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, who added that, the university is ready to work with all stakeholders in bridging the gap between academia and industry and to also sustain its relevance as a leading university in research and innovation.

 

 

Call for Applications

The Africa Center of Excellence in Internet of Things (ACEIoT) at the University of Rwanda, College of Science and Technology, invites qualified applicants to the following programs:

  1. PhD in IoT with Specialisation in Wireless Intelligent Sensor Networking
  2. PhD in IoT with Specialisation in Embedded Computing Systems

There are full and partial scholarship opportunities. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. The deadline is March 16, 2018.

For more info visit < Applications now open for PhD Studies- Deadline extended up to March 16, 2018>

Website <www.aceiot.ur.ac.rw 

Fifth ACE Supervision Missions ready to be launched

 

In line with the ACE project’s monitoring and evaluation strategy, Supervision Teams consisting of experts in the thematic disciplines of Agriculture, Health and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) will be embarking on the 5th supervision missions to 11 ACEs in West and Central Africa between 12th March and 17th April 2018. The Centres to be visited are The Centre for Food Technology and Research (CEFTER); Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA); Pan African Materials Institute (PAMI); Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre Kumasi (RWESCK); Centre for Excellence in Reproductive Health and Innovation (CERHI); Ecole Nationale Superieure de Statistique et d’economie Appliquee (ENSEA);  Centre d’Excellence Africain Mines et Environnement Minier (CEA-MEM); ACE in Mathematics, Informatics, and ICT (CEA-MITIC);  ACE in Poultry Sciences (CERSA);  ACE for Phytomedicine Research and Development (ACEPRD); and ACE in Maternal and Child Health (CEA-SAMEF).

Representatives from the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the World Bank will also be part of the supervision mission.

Objectives

The purpose of the mission is to assess the extent to which implementation is consistent with the agreed timelines and outcomes set out in the Project Appraisal Document (PAD). It is also to track progress, achievements and impacts made by each ACE.  The mission further presents the opportunity for experts to provide technical advice on addressing challenges facing the Centres in project execution.

Background

The Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) Project emphasizes results-oriented management and supervision based on tracking results and how these feed into achievement of the Project’s goals. In line with this, frequent monitoring and evaluation is required to ensure the Centres implement activities according to their approved Implementation Plans and Annual Work Plans. Since its inception in 2014, four supervision missions have been undertaken by teams of experts and representatives of World Bank and AAU to various ACEs to monitor progress and make recommendations towards attainment of the Project’s goals. Logistical arrangements for the Fifth Supervision Mission are at an advanced stage. Click here to see timetable.

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 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

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,
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