African Leaders Push for a Shared Vision for Higher Education Transformation to Advance Economic Progress

Leaders from Africa’s higher education institutions, the African Union, government ministries, global and regional financial institutions, industry partners, and young people gathered this week in Accra, Ghana, for the inaugural Higher Education Transformation Convening hosted by the Mastercard Foundation (http://www.MastercardFdn.org). The Convening also marked the first Africa Higher Education for Transformation (AHEFT) Prize (https://apo-opa.co/4xEFdET) award ceremony, recognizing institutions advancing sustained, institution-wide transformation.

Under the theme, “Reimagining Higher Education for Africa’s Human Capital Development,” delegates explored what a relevant, high-quality, impactful, and sustainable higher education system should deliver for Africa’s young people.

“Transformation is not just a better university. It is a university that makes the whole economy around it work better for young people,” said Sewit Ahderom, President and CEO, Mastercard Foundation. “Four things make that real. Curricula built with employers, so that what is taught is what the country needs, and learning leads somewhere. Credentials that say what a graduate can do, not how long they sat, and that travel with them across borders. Institutions where young people learn to lead the technologies reshaping our economies, not merely operate them. And research that leaves the campus, into industry, into government, into the community, and comes back as enterprise and employment.”

Throughout the Convening, participants explored the shifts needed for universities to become engines of discovery and problem-solving, preparing young people to shape emerging technologies and ensuring that research moves beyond the campus to inform industry, strengthen communities, and contribute to Africa’s development priorities. Discussions also emphasized the importance of focusing research, innovation and skills development in areas where Africa has strategic comparative advantage and  the greatest potential for impact, while strengthening private sector partnerships to align talent development and applied research with evolving workforce needs.  Young people also called for their experiences and aspirations to be reflected in decisions on education, work, and opportunity, and for them to be active partners in shaping the systems that affect their lives.

“Africa’s young and growing population presents one of the world’s greatest opportunities. Realizing that opportunity will depend on higher education institutions that can develop and retain talent, drive innovation, and create stronger pathways to dignified and fulfilling work,” said Dr. John Nkengasong, Executive Director, Higher Education and Strategic Initiatives, Mastercard Foundation.  “Higher education transformation is not simply an education agenda. It is an economic imperative. It requires us to rethink education as a strategic investment and bring together governments, universities, industry, investors, and partners to build the systems that enable young people and economies to thrive. No one institution can do this alone, but through the power of partnerships, this transformation is achievable.”

The convening discussions align with the African Union’s Decade of Education and Skills Development (2025–2034), which calls for stronger education systems, improved learning outcomes, and skills development aligned with Africa’s long-term development priorities, including Agenda 2063.

“The African Union’s Decade of Education calls on us to view higher education as a strategic investment in Africa’s future. With higher education spending averaging less than 0.8 percent of GDP and research and development receiving less than 0.5 percent of national budgets, we must strengthen collaboration across our universities, expand faculty and student mobility, and build systems that enable talent, knowledge, and innovation to flow across borders. Higher education transformation is a continental project, and its success will depend on our willingness to invest, partner, and act together,” said Professor Saidou Madougou, Director, African Union Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (https://apo-opa.co/4j52E71).

The Convening also marked the award ceremony for the AHEFT Prize, a first-of-its-kind annual award recognizing institutions that are advancing sustained, institution-wide change. The Prize highlights practical examples of how universities are strengthening teaching and learning, research and innovation, student transitions to employment and health outcomes.

The 2026 laureates recognized are Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia), the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (Burkina Faso), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana), Muni University (Uganda), and the University of Rwanda. Backed by a USD 500 million commitment, the Prize will recognize at least 150 institutions across Africa over the next decade. Each winning institution will receive USD 3 million to scale transformative initiatives that expand education opportunities for young people across the continent.

“Across the applications, we saw a strong appetite for change and institutions rethinking everything from how students learn and prepare for the world of work, to how universities engage with industry, strengthen research and innovation, and respond to local challenges. The inaugural laureates distinguished themselves through approaches that are ambitious, grounded in their own contexts and capable of generating lessons well beyond their institutions. Together, they demonstrate that there are multiple pathways to meaningful transformation and offer the wider higher education ecosystem practical examples to learn from, adapt, and build upon,” said Susan Chomba, Chair of the AHEFT Jury.

Applications for the 2027 AHEFT Prize cycle will open later this year. Institutions across Africa that are advancing meaningful, sustained transformation are encouraged to apply.

The discussions in Accra this week underscored a key theme: no single sector can deliver this transformation alone.  The challenge now is to turn consensus into action at scale. Higher education institutions, governments, industry, investors, and development partners were called on to identify the system-level shifts they can collectively advance by 2028, strengthening the connections between education, employment, research and investment so that more young Africans are equipped to learn, earn, and lead.

Addendum:

Quotes from the 2026 AHEFT Prize Laureates

“It is the crowning achievement of decades of effort dedicated to providing young Africans with inclusive, high-quality scientific and technical education that aligns with the needs of our communities” – Professor El Hadji Bamba DIAW, Director General, 2iE.

“Africa’s greatest resource is its young people. Our universities therefore have a responsibility not merely to prepare them to participate in the future, but to equip them to shape it. The Mastercard Foundation’s partnership with Addis Ababa University reflects this shared conviction that when we invest in the potential of Africa’s young people, and give them access to quality education, research, innovation and opportunity, we are investing in the future of the continent itself. This is the responsibility and the promise of an African university” – Samuel Kifle, President of Addis Ababa University.

“We are very happy to win this maiden AHEFT Prize in recognition of what we’ve been doing: changing the lives of people, systems, and policies not only in our country but also in Africa and around the world. With our partnership with the Foundation, we can touch lives, transform people, and the systems we operate in” – Prof. Christian Agyare, Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

“The future of African universities is not within our walls alone; it is also in our communities. Universities need to move beyond the ivory tower to the people, listen to their challenges, and put our knowledge to work alongside them” – Assoc. Prof. Anguma Simon Katrini, Vice Chancellor, Muni University, Uganda.

“This recognition affirms the University of Rwanda’s commitment to developing a health workforce that responds to the needs of our country and communities. With the support of the Mastercard Foundation, we will build on the progress already made in health education, research and innovation, while strengthening our capacity to translate knowledge and research into meaningful impact for communities,” – Prof. Kayihura M. Didas, Vice Chancellor of the University of Rwanda.

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