A thriving economy is built on talent. All of Africa, the job market faces a shortage of highly skilled professionals in key areas such as engineering, health, agriculture and digital technology. A decade ago, a study by the African Investors Council revealed that large companies struggle to recruit qualified talent in these areas, with the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) reporting that only about 20% of higher education students in sub-Saharan Africa are registered in the scientific and technical fields.
In the face of this reality, a quiet yet transformative revolution began with the creation of the Centre for Higher Education in Africa in 2014.
Strategic investments for lasting impact
With joint funding of over $657 million from the World Bank and approximately $72 million from the French Development Agency (AFD), the program has improved the quality of science and technology education by establishing more than 80 centres of excellence in 50 universities in 20 countries. It not only transformed higher education, it also strengthened applied research and innovation, the key drivers of Africa’s competitiveness.
To date, ACE programs include:
– Trained over 90,000 students in their PhD, including 7,650 students and 30,200 Masters.
– Produced over 10,350 internationally peer-reviewed research publications.
– Provided nearly 18,000 internships, connecting students with businesses and promoting practical applications of research.
– Increased the presence of women in science, with the enrollment rate of women being nearly 32%.
– Established 600 nationally accredited programs and over 130 internationally accredited programs. and
– More than $183 million in external funds have been generated to ensure the sustainability of the program.
Through investments in state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge laboratories, the ACE initiative has achieved its bold goals. Africa is positioned as a global player in research and innovation. The days when the best students had to travel outside the continent for quality education are gone. Today they can train in Africa and they contribute to key areas such as health, agriculture, engineering, the environment, energy, transportation, and digital technology.
Beyond the numbers: Actual impact
Beyond statistics, these advances have directly improved people’s lives. In Nigeria, researchers at the University of Saviour are at the forefront of high-quality, transnational, genomics-based research, developing new solutions to address a wide range of public health challenges. They played an important role in sequencing the genome of Ebola and Covid-19, and contributed to global efforts to combat these pandemics. Advances in agriculture biotechnology by ACES in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria have increased resilience to disease, pests and environmental challenges, resulting in improved crop varieties. In Ghana alone, about 280 improved crop varieties have been introduced, allowing over 1 million farmers in 10 countries to significantly increase productivity. The integration of artificial intelligence and the “Internet of Things” in Rwanda, Nigeria and Senegal in their academic curriculum prepares a new generation of experts for future work. More importantly, many ACE graduates are helping to adopt and adapt new and existing technologies to improve productivity and economic growth.
These successes show that, among many others, Africa is not just a consumer of knowledge, but a key player in global innovation that can develop solutions tailored to the local and global challenges.
Stay on the course: Shaping your future trajectory
When we celebrate the impact of ten years, work is still incomplete. Our current priority is to integrate these achievements and amplify change in Africa. This week, the government, universities, the Centre for Excellence and its partners are convening in Accra, Ghana to evaluate the programme and outline strategic directions for the future. This important gathering will strengthen commitments from governments and partners to ensure the sustainability of the programme, expanding opportunities for partnerships between universities and industry, providing opportunities to create jobs and increase employment opportunities for graduates.
It is important to leverage the rapid advances in digital technology, particularly AI, to expand the pool of advanced digital skills experts across the continent, while increasing program access and quality. Enhanced regional collaboration to maximize the impact of research and development, and maximize the impact of research and translation on markets across the continent are also key to fostering a more integrated and dynamic innovation ecosystem.
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Developing a highly skilled workforce is an economic obligation for Africa.
Africa’s future relies on a highly skilled workforce. The ACE initiative proves that investment in higher education is not just an academic pursuit, but an economic necessity. These outstanding centres laid the foundation for a knowledge-driven economy with African talent, African research and African solutions.
Now, more than ever, continuing investment in higher education is important to ensure competitiveness and innovation at the global stage of Africa. The opportunity to shape the next chapter of this transformation is in our hands. Give Africa’s brightest mind the power to learn, guide and drive transformation from within the continent.
