Selection of 44 Centres of Excellence in West and Central AFRICA for the ACE Impact Project

Building upon the successful implementation of the ACE 1 Project, the World Bank is now supporting the ACE Impact Project which is focused on scaling up postgraduate education and applied research that are fundamental to economic growth in the region...

West and Central African countries, with support from the World Bank and the Association of African Universities, launched the regional Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) Project in 2014. 

2 November 2018: The Association of African Universities (AAU), the Regional Facilitation Unit (RFU), of the Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) Project, was pleased to announce the conditional selection of 44 centres of excellence in 12 participating countries in West and Central Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo) under the ACE for Development Impact (ACE Impact) Project! The following...

SEVEN PROPOSALS RELATED TO AGRICULTURE

have been conditionally selected as centres of excellence by the ACE Impact Ministerial Project Steering Committee at its meeting in Accra, Ghana:

1. CHANGEMENT CLIMATIQUE, BIODIVERSITE ET AGRICULTURE DURABLE (CEA-CCBAD) - Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny Cote d’Ivoire - climate change

2. WEST AFRICA CENTRE FOR CROP IMPROVEMENT (WACCI) - University of Ghana Ghana - Crop Improvement

3. DRY LAND AGRICULTURE (CDA) - Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria - Dryland Agriculture

4. CENTRE FOR FOOD TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH (CEFTER) - Benue State University Nigeria - Food tech and research

5. CENTRE D’EXCELLENCE REGIONAL SUR LES SCIENCES AVIAIRES (CERSA) - Université de LoméTogo Poultry science

6. CENTRE D’EXCELLENCE REGIONAL SUR LES PRODUCTIONS PASTORALES : VIANDE, LAIT, CUIRS ET PEAUX (CERPP) - Université Abdou Moumouni Niger - Livestock

7. AGRICULTURE POUR LA SECURITE ALIMENTAIRE ET NUTRITIONNELLE (CEA AGRISAN) - Université Cheikh Anta Diop Senegal - Food security & nutrition

The concept of Regional centers of excellence in Africa offers an optimal and cost-effective way to build and sustain excellence in higher education in Africa because they foster regional specialization, concentrate limited top-level faculty, and generate knowledge spillovers.

THEMATIC AREAS THAT WERE FUNDED UNDER THE ACE1 PROJECT

1.) AGRICULTURE: Africa has experienced strong economic growth despite recent global downturns, and there has been a resurgence of traditional sectors such as agriculture and the extractive industries. Highly skilled agricultural scientists and researchers to drive economic growth and tackle food security challenges are required.

2.) HEALTH: African economies urgently need highly skilled medical and health workers who will provide the healthcare that is critical to fuel development. 

3.) STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: Higher Education, particularly in science and technology, holds the potential to be absolutely transformative for Africa, because it can equip young people with critical knowledge and skills that are in short supply on the continent… Read on more here

Since its launch in 2014, the African Centres of Excellence has proven productive in addressing challenges in the above mentioned thematic disciplines. Latest M&E report shows that about 8,100 studentshave been enrolled under the ACE Project; 25% are female students and 25% registered as Regional students. Moreover, there are 1600 PhDstudents, 6,500 Masters students and 16,000 short courses students. Read on more about major AVE achievements here

SOURCE: African Center's of Excellence news

P.S. “Young researchers need help to identify appropriate journals and they need constructive feedback that can help them improve their research papers, instead of outright rejections," Professor Prozesky said in How can young scientists in Africa become research leaders?

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