Accra, July 2, GNA – The African Student Commercialization, Enterprise and Network Development (ASCEND), a British Council-backed programme, is empowering students in Ghana and Nigeria to transform research ideas into market-ready products and services.
The ASCEND programme equips students with the skills, mentorship and industry exposure needed to move innovative ideas from conception to commercialization while creating pathways for job creation across the region.
Speaking at a pitching event at the British Council office in Accra, Dr. Aliyu Aliyu, an Associate Professor and lead for ASCEND, said the initiative was designed to help students validate their ideas before entering the market.
“Students from Nigeria and Ghana take their project ideas from conception down to commercialization, and along the way they get evidence that their innovation has a market,” he said.
“They need that evidence first because you don’t want to build something that nobody wants to buy.”
Dr. Aliyu said ASCEND provides participants with mentorship, business development tools and access to experienced entrepreneurs who guide them through the commercialization process.
“They get expertise from business leaders, people who have been there, built businesses and succeeded several times over,” he said. “ASCEND brings all that expertise together with the support and international exposure that the British Council provides.”
He said the programme ensures that promising university research does not remain confined to academic institutions.
“It doesn’t end up in a university library or in the grave. It gathers knowledge from those who have gone through the process before and helps de-risk the journey to the market,” he added.
According to Dr. Aliyu, the programme is also redefining university administration through technology.
“Through this journey, we are redefining traditional university administration, using purpose-built AI workspaces to eliminate massive paper waste and bring transparency to institutional environmental footprints,” he said.
He said the initiative could have a multiplier effect on local economies through entrepreneurship and job creation.
Mr Etom Ofem, Regional Higher Education Research, Evaluation and Insights Lead for Sub-Saharan Africa at the British Council, said ASCEND emerged from innovation grants issued to universities and partners in the United Kingdom and Sub-Saharan Africa to address shared higher education challenges.
“The project is designed to foster an ecosystem of innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa while building connections and trust between universities in the UK, Nigeria and Ghana,” Ofem said.
He said the programme marked a shift in focus from strengthening institutional systems to directly supporting students and helping them develop commercially viable solutions.
“In previous phases, we worked extensively with universities on entrepreneurship policies, guidelines and improving access and quality. This time, we are focusing on innovation by ensuring students acquire the skills needed to develop prototypes, products and services,” he said.
Through design-thinking approaches, mentorship and market access opportunities, participants are encouraged to test and refine their ideas before seeking investment.
“Today we are holding a pitching exercise where students have the opportunity to access funding. This element of commercializing research and innovation is critical because the mentors have worked extensively with the students through capacity-building initiatives,” he added.
Mr Ofem said African universities must evolve beyond their traditional role as centres of knowledge generation and become engines of innovation and problem-solving.
“Universities are now taking their place as solution providers within their communities. We are helping students turn ideas into products and services that meet community needs,” he said.
He described the British Council’s role as that of an enabler, providing grants and fostering partnerships between institutions in Africa and the United Kingdom.
One of the participants, Glory Monday Esene, a student from Bayero University Kano in Nigeria, expressed excitement about the opportunities the programme had provided.
“The programme has exposed me to new ways of thinking about innovation and entrepreneurship,” she said. “The mentorship and training have helped me understand how to develop an idea into something that can solve real problems and create value for communities.”
She said interacting with mentors, industry experts and fellow students from other countries had broadened her perspective and strengthened her confidence in pursuing her innovation journey.
The ASCEND programme forms part of the British Council’s broader effort to strengthen innovation ecosystems and promote collaboration between African and UK higher education institutions, while supporting young entrepreneurs to develop solutions to pressing social and economic challenges.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade