The Association of African Universities (AAU), in collaboration with the World Bank, the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), has celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Africa Centers of Excellence (ACE) program with a press event.
Established in 1967, the AAU advocates for the educational and developmental needs of African higher education institutions and coordinates efforts to address these needs.
The event, organized at the AAU Secretariat, also served as a prelude to the grand anniversary celebration, scheduled for April 7-9 at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra. The upcoming event promises to be a landmark occasion in shaping the future of Africa’s education and research landscape.
The ACE program has played a crucial role in advancing higher education across the African continent by fostering specialized research and skills development in fields such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), agriculture, health, environment, and applied social sciences.
Over the years, the project has supported more than 80 centers in over 50 universities across 20 African countries, enrolling thousands of postgraduate students, with over one-third being women.
Millicent Afriyie Adjei, the Communication Lead for the ACE Impact Project at AAU, explained that the celebration was officially launched on October 31, 2023, in Abidjan during the ACE at 10 regional workshop. She emphasized the program’s transformative impact on higher education and its alignment with labor market demands across Africa.
The anniversary event will also feature inspiring stories from young entrepreneurs, discussions on women’s representation in STEM, and thematic breakout sessions on innovation and industry collaboration.
Mr. Felix Abagale, Director of the West Africa Centre for Water, Irrigation, and Sustainable Agriculture (WACWISA) at the University for Development Studies, highlighted the program’s financial investments and research contributions. He noted that Ghanaian ACE centers have achieved an impressive minimum performance rate of 97% in meeting their objectives. WACWISA has trained students from over 20 African countries, equipping them with specialized skills in irrigation and drainage engineering.
Mr. Eric Antwi Ofosu, Director of the Regional Center for Energy and Environmental Sustainability (RCEES) at the University of Energy and Natural Resources, emphasized the impact of ACE funding on research output. He noted that prior to the program’s inception, the university averaged 57 publications annually, whereas with ACE support, research publications have surged to over 400 per year. RCEES has also exceeded its initial targets by admitting 114 PhD students and 216 master’s students while training over 456 industry professionals through specialized short courses.
The ACE program has significantly enhanced the international visibility of African universities, with several institutions obtaining international accreditation to ensure that their graduates compete favorably on the global stage, he concluded.
By Madjid Diallo || GhanaNewsOnline