Chidimma Uchegbu
The Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) project in Nigeria, aimed at enhancing postgraduate education and research in critical sectors, is set to officially conclude its current phase of funding by June 30.
The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, hailed the ACE-Impact initiative, noting that it has elevated Nigeria’s academic institutions into globally competitive hubs of knowledge generation, innovation, and development.
Speaking at the pre-closure retreat for the ACE Impact Project in Abuja on Wednesday, Ribadu urged beneficiary institutions to focus on sustainability beyond donor funding.
He emphasised the need for the centres to evolve from temporary projects into “permanent institutional assets” and called on vice-chancellors and centre leaders to strengthen their sustainability strategies.
He also encouraged securing diversified funding sources and establishing governance frameworks to attract both public and private investment.
“This project has empowered our universities and contributed significantly to regional integration and internationalisation.
“ACE Centres have produced high-quality master’s and PhD graduates, secured international accreditations, attracted major external funding, and driven innovation across key sectors such as health, agriculture, STEM, and education.
“This is not the end, but the beginning of a new phase of responsibility.
“We must scale up the gains of the past decade and ensure these centres remain engines of growth and regional leadership,” he said.
The National Project Coordinator, Joshua Attah, highlighted the project’s achievements across 17 centres housed within 14 Nigerian universities.
He said the centres had made remarkable progress in research output, postgraduate training, and regional academic integration.
“These projects are not going away; what’s ending is the funding, but the infrastructure, capacity, and benefits to students and researchers remain firmly in place,” Attah said.
He added that the ACE impact had expanded to 53 centres across 11 countries, with Nigeria hosting the highest number at 17 Centres of Excellence.
“These centres cover strategic areas such as maternal and child health, cybersecurity, sustainable power, dryland agriculture, food security, and digital science.
“The centres have collectively positioned Nigeria at the forefront of academic excellence and development-driven research on the continent.”
Attah revealed that the 17 centres had earned 89.1 million dollars through Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) and generated additional funding exceeding N3.2 billion, 24.9 million dollars, 1.77 million euros, and 589,000 pounds from local and international sources.
“These resources have been used to improve infrastructure, acquire advanced equipment, support scholarships with gender inclusivity, and secure national and international accreditations.
“Notably, 128 programmes have been accredited by NUC, with several others receiving international endorsements.
“The centres have enrolled 33,347 students, including 924 regional students (294 female, 630 male) and 6,129 national students (2,681 female, 3,448 male).
“Among these, 6,945 are graduate-level students, with 1,862 pursuing PhDs and 5,083 MSc degrees,” he added.
Attah challenged universities to generate funding from their projects to ensure sustainability.
Prof. Christian Happi, Director of the African Centre of Excellence for Genomic Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) at Redeemer’s University, underscored that the success of the ACE programme lied not only in scientific achievements but also in regional integration.
He noted that attracting international grants and students was a hallmark of a sustainable and internationally respected academic model.
