Mahama promises regional collaborations in higher education and research

President Mahama Reaffirms Commitment to Regional Collaboration in Education

President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed Ghana's commitment to regional collaboration. He spoke at the opening ceremony of the 10th anniversary celebration of the African Centres of Excellence (ACE@10).

The president emphasized that challenges like public health and food security are complex. He stated, “These issues cannot be tackled in national isolation.” The event took place from April 7 to 9, 2025, and included education ministers, researchers, and university leaders from Africa.

Over the past decade, the ACE program has transformed higher education in Africa. It now includes over 80 centres across 20 countries. Ghana hosts impactful centres such as WACCI and WACCBIP.

WACCI enhances agricultural productivity through improved crop varieties. WACCBIP contributes significantly to infectious disease diagnosis and pandemic response. Meanwhile, WAGMC is making strides in genetic health research.

The President called for more investment in these centres. He stressed that innovation must have a tangible impact on communities. He also highlighted the importance of promoting gender equity in science and technology.

Mr. Ousmane Diagana from the World Bank praised ACE’s vision and results. He noted that over 90,000 students have been trained through this program. This includes nearly 7,650 PhDs and almost 18,000 internships.

Mr. Diagana mentioned that ACE has produced over 10,350 peer-reviewed publications. The program has attracted $183 million in external funding as well. He emphasized that democracy and higher education are closely linked.

He cited innovative outcomes from various countries involved with ACE. These include work in genomics in Nigeria and biotechnology in Ghana and Kenya.

Minister of Education Mr. Haruna Iddrisu expressed strong government support for education innovation. In a light-hearted remark, he suggested rebranding ACE’s acronym for clarity.

He urged universities to research traditional medicine inspired by successes from Uganda. “President Mahama wants universities to contribute to health development,” he said.

Mr. Iddrisu proposed new centres focused on foundational learning and youth development as well. “One major concern of our President is youth empowerment,” he added.

He announced two initiatives: a national research fund with $5 million for ACE grants and funding for local PhD students at public universities this year.

Mr. Iddrisu concluded by calling for continued collaboration with partners like the World Bank. “We ask for more support for initiatives like the sanitary pass programme for young girls,” he said.