The Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Apaak, has proposed to the Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) to work in creating a brighter future for Africa’s higher education.
He was speaking at the closing session of the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) at Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra on Wednesday, April 9, 2025.
He admonished the participants to drive meaningful change in their respective countries to push for the continent’s growth.
“I urge us all to depart from the celebrations of the last two days with a renewed commitment to engage with each other and work towards the programme’s financial and institutional sustainability.
“Let us harness the momentum generated during this conference to drive meaningful change and propel Africa’s development. Together, we can create a brighter future for Africa’s higher education sector and, by extension, the continent’s economic and social development.”
He commended the participants, saying, “I would like to further extend a special appreciation to all the governments of the participating countries, the World Bank Management and Team, the French Development Agency (AFD) and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) for their unwavering support and guidance throughout the 10-year journey of the ACE programme. Your commitment to excellence and dedication to the programme’s success have been invaluable.
He stated that the government also acknowledges the tireless efforts of the implementing partners, including the vice chancellors, centre leaders, and teams from the various universities.
Dr Apaak also commended them for demonstrating an unwavering commitment to supporting and enabling the transformation of postgraduate education initiated under the ACE programme.
“Your leadership, expertise, and institutional support have been instrumental in shaping the programme’s achievements, and we are grateful for your partnership and collaboration. To all the Ministers for Education and Finance who have been with us throughout this auspicious event, we really appreciate your time and invaluable contributions.
“Together, let us maintain the bright, flaming touches of the 80 Centres of Excellence in Africa and Djibouti, and in the next decade, let us strive for even more vibrant centres. Centres not only in themselves but lighting up the continent in the graduates and faculty, who go on to achieve greater exploits –fostering enterprises that bring communities out of poverty.
“I wish you safe travels and look forward to the remarkable progress that is certain to unfold as we move forward on the ACE journey. The next chapter of ACE is in our hands, and I have no doubt that together, we will achieve even greater accolades for our centres, our universities, our countries, and for the development of Africa and the world.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
