By Ghana Eye Report
President John Dramani Mahama on Monday called for united efforts across Africa to unlock talents that will build a resilient workforce to drive sustainable development on the continent.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of Africa’s Higher Education (ACE) Centres of Excellence in the Ghanaian capital of Accra, under the theme, “Celebrating a decade of transformative journey in revolutionizing Africa’s contribution to global research and innovation,” he underscored the enormous contributions the programme has played in critical sectors.
“The ACE Programme has emerged as a model of distinction, fostering innovation, nurturing world-class expertise, and strengthening institutional capacities in critical sectors,” said President Mahama.
“The ACE journey is a reminder that the future of higher education in Africa –and indeed globally—does not lie in working alone. It lies in uniting our efforts to unlock talent, transfer knowledge, and build a resilient workforce to drive sustainable development across Africa,” added the Ghanaian leader.
The Ghanaian leader observed that the ACE programme would remain vibrant and relevant if academic work were aligned with national and regional development goals.
“The prospects for the ACE Programme are bright. The demand for research-led solutions, skilled professionals, and regionally relevant innovations continues to grow across the continent. By aligning academic work with national and regional development goals, and by fostering innovation-driven partnerships, we can properly position the centers to remain vibrant and impactful well into the future,” President Mahama further stated.
World Bank’s Vice-President for Western and Central Africa, Ousmane Diagana called for strategic investment and innovative solutions towards global challenges in recent times.
“The global development challenges we face today, with the confluence of interconnected crises ranging from environmental challenges, health pandemics, to economic instability and geopolitical tensions, call for strategic investment and innovative solutions, with human capital development at the forefront,” said Ousmane Diagana, World Bank’s Vice-President for Western and Central Africa,” said Diagana.
“The ACE Programme has laid the foundation for a knowledge-driven economy, and we must double our efforts to continue the transformation they have started. Let us continue to empower Africa’s brightest minds to learn, lead, innovate, and drive our continent’s transformation from within,” he added.
About 500 participants, including more than 80 Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACEs), policymakers, higher education leaders, industry experts, and development partners have gathered in Accra, Ghana, from April 7 to 9, for a three-day celebration marking the tenth anniversary of the ACE programme, a transformative journey in Africa’s higher education.
This milestone recognizes a decade of strengthening Africa’s higher education, fostering regional integration, improving industry linkages, and driving meaningful impact on Africa’s development.
Participants will seize the opportunity to share success stories, discuss emerging challenges, and engage stakeholders in charting a future where Africa’s higher education sector continues to build on its current gains and scales its contributions to the continent’s economic growth and social development.
Over the past decade, the programme has trained the next generation of Africa’s highly-skilled workforce, upskilled the existing workforce, and significantly transformed scientific research in higher education across Africa, establishing over 80 ACEs in more than 50 universities across 20 countries, and enrolling more than 90,000 students, including 7,650 PhDs and 30,200 master’s degree students, with 32% women.
The programme has raised teaching and learning standards by equipping modern facilities with cutting-edge technologies and has met global benchmarks in academic excellence with over 130 internationally accredited programs and more than 600 nationally accredited programmes.
Additionally, the ACEs have developed solutions and innovations, with more than 10,350 internationally peer-reviewed publications tailored to Africa’s and global challenges.
The ACEs are distinguished by their regional specialization, taking advantage of economies of scale, fostering cross-border collaborations among universities, and bringing students from various countries together to undertake research in specific regional issues, including in agriculture, ICT, energy, engineering, environment, health, mining, transport and logistics, urban development, water, etc.
The ACE Programme is a flagship regional program launched in 2014. It is the first large-scale World Bank-funded regional project in the higher education sector in Africa, with a total financing of $657 million.
The programme also benefitted from a $72 million co-financing from the French Development Agency, AFD. Its regional coordination and knowledge-sharing activities are implemented by valued partners, including the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA). Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
Share Us
