By Christopher Arko
Accra, March 30, GNA – A lineup of programmes to climax the 10th Anniversary of the Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE), scheduled to take place from April 7 – 9 in Accra has been unveiled.
The ACE@10 celebrations will feature prominent personalities, including the Vice President of Ghana as the Guest of Honour, ministers of finance and higher education from the 20 participating countries, including Ghana, the Gambia, Guinea, Djibouti, and Uganda.
The programmes will include panel discussions, academic dialogues, networking sessions and an exhibition that will bring together key stakeholders from across the continent and beyond.
Professor Olusola Oyewola, Secretary General of the Association Of African Universities (AAU), speaking at the launch, highlighted the pivotal role the ACE Programme had played in transforming higher education institutions across Sub-Saharan Africa.
He said it had helped to strengthening their capacity to deliver quality postgraduate education, research, and innovation in priority sectors such as STEM, Agriculture, Environment, Health, Applied Social Science, and Education.
He said over the past decade, the programme had made significant strides in equipping universities with the tools, skills, and resources required to address the continent’s most pressing development challenges.
Prof Oyewola highlighted exceptional accomplishments of the ACE Programme and the impact it has had on over 80 centres in more than 50 universities across 20 countries in Africa.
“Through the ACE initiative, institutions have enhanced their capacity to deliver high-quality academic programmes, fostered groundbreaking research innovations, and forged vital partnerships that have improved industry linkages and strengthened regional integration,” he said.
Mrs Millicent Afriyie Adjei, Communications Lead, ACE Impact Project, AAU, explained that the ACE@10 climax was a high-level event co-organised by the AAU, the Regional Facilitation Unit for both ACE I and ACE Impact, and the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), representing Eastern and Southern Africa.
She said the Regional Vice President of the World Bank and other key directors from the AAU and IUCEA will participate in the event.
More than 500 higher education stakeholders, private sector partners, subject matter experts, and development partners from across the globe will convene at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra to mark the memorable occasion.
GNA
ABD