Strengthening Capacities of African Universities to Deliver Quality Post-Graduate Training and Applied Research: Africa Centers of Excellence meet in Dakar from September 23-27, 2019.
Dakar, September 18 2019. The Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE I) and Africa Higher
Education Centers of Excellence for Development Impact (ACE Impact) projects will be holding a biannual
meeting in Dakar, Senegal. With support from the Ministry of Higher Education in Senegal, the World Bank
and its partners (Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Association of African Universities
(AAU)) launches the eleventh ACE I and second for the ACE Impact since the inception of the projects.
The meeting will take place on September 23 – 27, 2019 at the Radisson Blu and King Fahd Hotels in
Dakar, Senegal.
The meeting brings together several actors of the higher education sector, including, Vice Chancellors and
academics from institutions hosting the Centers, government representatives from the participating ACE1
and ACE Impact Countries, the private sector, industry players and policy think tanks. The overarching goal
is to create a platform for the Centers to gain knowledge relevant to the implementation of the projects,
exchange information on their respective programs, build networks and forge partnerships to ensure the
successful implementation and realization of the project’s objectives.
Moreover, the ACEs will have an opportunity to discuss ongoing activities and progress, share experiences,
strengthen their strategies for addressing the continent's development challenges and engage with several
ICT-related companies on issues around digital skills, digital infrastructure and smart campuses.
The Official Opening and Closing ceremonies of the meeting will take place on September 24 and 27
respectively, at the King Fahd Hotel, Dakar. Additional planned workshop activities will be held at Radisson
Blu Hotel on September 25-26, 2019. They would include implementation support and peer learning
sessions for all the participating Centers across Agriculture, Health and Science Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics (STEM) themes as well as operational clinics on Monitoring& Evaluation, Procurement
and Financial Management. The objectives of these sessions are to equip the participating ACEs, their host
institutions and governments with tools necessary to improve their Project effectiveness and
Implementation. Key results that the project seeks to achieve include post-graduate expansion of MSc,
PhD students in priority disciplines, international accreditation to improve quality and relevance of
programs, outreach and impact to society through internship placements for students and external revenue
generation through research consultancies and partnerships with private sector.
The Project Steering Committee (PSC) meetings for ACE I and ACE Impact will take place on the 23rd of
September 2019 at the World Bank Office in Dakar. The PSC comprises representatives of all participating
countries, regional bodies and industry. They serve as the policy making body of these Projects.
Download this document for more information about this program.