World Bank’s Ousmane Diagana Urges African Governments to Scale Up ACE Program’s Impact
World Bank’s Vice-President for Western and Central Africa, Ousmane Diagana, has emphasized the crucial role of the African Centres of Excellence (ACE) Program in driving Africa’s transition to a knowledge-driven economy. Diagana called on African governments to intensify their efforts to sustain and amplify the transformation initiated by the program over the past decade.
Speaking at the tenth anniversary of the ACE program, Diagana highlighted the foundational impact the initiative has had in empowering Africa’s brightest minds and advancing the continent’s higher education and research capabilities. “The ACE Program has laid the foundation for a knowledge-driven economy, and we must double our efforts to continue the transformation they have started. Let us continue to empower Africa’s brightest minds to learn, lead, innovate, and drive our continent’s transformation from within,” he stated.
Launched in 2014, the ACE Program is the first large-scale, World Bank-funded regional initiative in Africa’s higher education sector, with an investment of $657 million, supplemented by $72 million in co-financing from the French Development Agency (AFD). This flagship program has significantly contributed to building Africa’s highly skilled workforce and advancing scientific research, with over 80 ACEs established in more than 50 universities across 20 African countries.
The ACE Program has had a profound impact on African education, training over 90,000 students, including 7,650 PhD candidates and 30,200 master’s degree students, of whom 32% are women. The program has also raised academic standards by equipping institutions with modern facilities and cutting-edge technologies, achieving over 130 internationally accredited programs and more than 600 nationally accredited programs.
One of the program’s key strengths lies in its emphasis on regional specialization, enabling cross-border collaborations among universities and fostering research on Africa’s pressing challenges. Over the past decade, ACEs have produced over 10,350 internationally peer-reviewed publications, addressing global and regional issues in agriculture, ICT, energy, engineering, health, mining, transport, and more.
As the ACE Program continues to evolve, Diagana urged stakeholders to align academic efforts with Africa’s development goals, ensuring that the program remains a vibrant force for innovation and progress. “Empowering the next generation of leaders and innovators is key to Africa’s sustainable development,” Diagana added.
With continued support from the World Bank, the French Development Agency, and regional partners, including the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the ACE Program is set to remain a cornerstone of Africa’s higher education transformation, driving research, innovation, and socio-economic development for years to come.
