The Association of African Universities (AAU), in collaboration with the World Bank, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), has organized the 10th Anniversary celebration of the Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) initiative, with a strong call for increased investment in higher education across the continent.
The Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) is a World Bank initiative in partnership with governments of participating countries aimed at supporting higher education institutions to specialize in key development areas such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), Environment, Agriculture, Applied Social Sciences, Education, and Health.
Delivering a keynote address at the event, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, highlighted the achievements of the Africa Centre of Excellence for Coastal Resilience (ACECoR) at the University of Cape Coast. She noted that the centre has trained young African scientists to develop integrated solutions to address coastal degradation in vulnerable coastal countries across the continent.
She further cited the example of Senegal, where the ACE initiative has developed cutting-edge medical training programs, enabling complex surgical procedures, reducing reliance on overseas treatment, and improving access to specialized healthcare services.
Prof. Amfo called for strong political will, increased domestic financing, and robust policy support from African governments to enable the Centres of Excellence to operate at their full potential.
Addressing participants, His Excellency former President John Dramani Mahama commended the ACE Programme for encouraging greater participation of women in STEM-related fields. However, he emphasized that more efforts were needed to make science education truly inclusive.
President Mahama urged African governments to prioritize investment in their research institutions, stressing that such investment was critical for the continent to remain competitive in an increasingly knowledge-driven global economy.
He noted that through sustained academic engagement, coordinated investments, and collaborative research, Africa can equip its next generation with the skills needed to harness emerging technologies and drive local innovation.
By Madjid Diallo || GhanaNewsOnline.com.gh