The National Universities Commission (NUC) has said that the World Bank-funded Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) Impact Project has brought significant changes to Nigeria’s higher education and research system.
The NUC Executive Secretary, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, made this known on Wednesday in Abuja during a pre-closure retreat for the project. He stated that the research conducted under the ACE Project had led to new inventions, patents, and policy ideas that are already benefiting sectors such as public health, agriculture, and renewable energy.
“We truly thank the World Bank and the French Development Agency (AFD) for their strong support and vision,” Ribadu said. The ACE Impact Project has not only improved our universities but has also promoted teamwork and knowledge sharing across West and Central Africa.
The ACE Project has been a remarkable journey of institutional and developmental transformation. Through this programme, Nigerian universities have established Centres of Excellence in areas critical to our development, not only as a nation but also as a region, such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), health, agriculture, and education.
Because of the ACE Project, these centres have produced high-quality master’s and PhD holders, fostered impactful research, and strengthened industry partnerships. Through ACE, these centres have attained international accreditation and garnered global recognition for their host universities, secured substantial external funding, including private sector investments and research grants, and made a notable impact on the international academic landscape.
In addition, research from the Centres has led to patents, innovations, and policy contributions that directly influence sectors such as public health, agriculture, and renewable energy, among others. We also celebrate the remarkable strides in university governance, financial management, and digital transformation made possible through the institutional support provided under the project.
These achievements are not just statistics; they represent stories of young researchers whose ideas are finding real-world solutions, of communities benefiting from innovations in healthcare and agriculture, and of institutions now better equipped to meet 21st-century demands.
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