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The Federal Government has unveiled the Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) Alliance and a comprehensive Compendium on the Key achievements and impacts of the ACE Project.
Speaking at the event in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa described the double launch as a reaffirmation of the nation’s commitment to academic excellence and sustainable development.
Alausa reaffirmed government’s commitment to strengthening innovation, collaboration, and global competitiveness in higher education.
The ACE Alliance, he explained, unites all 20 Africa Centres of Excellence (ACEs) established in Nigeria, including three that exited during the transition to ACE Impact into a strategic network for collaboration, shared learning, and global engagement.
“It is a timely initiative that consolidates the gains of the ACE Project, enhances visibility, and amplifies the voices of our Centres on the global stage,” the Minister said.
Alausa praised the ACE Project funded by the World Bank and the Agence Française de Dévelopement (AFD) in collaboration with the federal government as a major success aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said the project had demonstrated how “strategic partnerships can drive sustainable growth” and strengthened Nigeria’s leadership position in higher education and research across Africa.
“The ACEs are helping to shape the skilled workforce and knowledge base our nation needs to compete in a dynamic global economy,” Alausa noted.
He disclosed that the ministry had endorsed NUC’s proposal to engage additional development partners to support the Blueprint for the Rapid Revitalisation of University education.
Highlighting the impact of the ACE Project, he commended the Centres for attracting international students and faculty, fostering regional collaboration, and positioning Nigeria as a continental hub for quality postgraduate education and innovation.
He noted that “the ACE Project has positioned Nigeria not only as a consumer but also as a provider of high-quality transnational education.”
Also speaking, the National Project Coordinator of the ACE Project, Dr Joshua Atah traced the journey of the ACE Project to August 2012, when the idea was first discussed with then NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Julius Okojie.
Atah said the project was officially launched in 2014 with a clear goal to strengthen postgraduate education and drive research addressing Africa’s most pressing challenges in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), agriculture, and health.
Under the first phase, known as ACE 1, he said 10 Nigerian universities were selected to host Centres of Excellence, the highest number among participating countries.
Building on that success, he said the ACE impact project was introduced in 2019 with joint support from the World Bank and AFD, expanding to 53 Centres across 11 African countries, with Nigeria hosting 17 of them.
“These Centres have evolved into engines of innovation and excellence.
” They have collectively attracted over $145 million through performance-based disbursements and mobilised additional funds exceeding N3.9 billion, $46 million, €1.78 million, and £2.6 million from diverse sources,” he said.
These resources, he added, had been reinvested into research, infrastructure, and capacity building.
Over the past decade, Atah said more than 45,000 students, including participants from over 15 African countries had been trained through the Centres.
This, he said was able to strengthen regional cooperation and position Nigerian universities as continental leaders in postgraduate education.
” The Centres have also produced over 6,600 graduates, including 1,596 PhDs, with faculty and students publishing over 4,200 scientific papers in reputable journals.
The Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, highlighted that the Centres’ research outputs had led to patents, policy innovations, and market-ready solutions.
Ribadu said it had also attracted regional students and faculty from across Africa while strengthening cross-border collaboration and academic mobility.
Each Centre, he added, told a story of possibility from breakthroughs in public health, renewable energy, and digital innovation to advances in pedagogy, maternal health, and herbal medicine regulation.
“The newly unveiled Compendium on Key Achievements and Impacts of the ACEs serves as a historic record of these accomplishments.
“Spanning four volumes, the publication captures the depth of the project’s outcomes,” he said.
Also speaking, Scherezad Latif, World Bank Manager of Education for Western and Central Africa, commended Nigeria’s leadership in higher education and regional development.
Latif said the programme’s success reflected on how Africa could build for Africa, turning knowledge into real solutions that strengthened communities and drive economic transformation.
Looking ahead, she announced plans for ACE Innovate, a new initiative designed to equip African youth with advanced skills, entrepreneurial capacity, and job readiness in key economic sectors.
She, therefore, urged universities to deepen collaboration with industry, align academic programmes with labour market needs, and continue fostering innovation.
She reaffirmed the World Bank’s commitment to supporting education, skills development, and job creation across Africa, calling the ACE Alliance “a model for sustainable, country-led growth.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ACE Compendium, a four-volume documentation, captured the journey and measurable outcomes of the Centres.
Volume one highlights the Centres’ achievements and innovations, Volume two catalogues over 4,000 research publications, Volume three profiles the researchers driving these results, and Volume four details the state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. (NAN)
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