African Centre of Excellence

African Centre of Excellence
Name	African Centre of Excellence
Type	Research and Training Hub
Established	2000s
Location	Africa
Focus	Higher Education; Research; Capacity Building

African Centre of Excellence

The African Centre of Excellence is a regional hub for postgraduate training, research, and policy engagement that connects institutions such as University of Cape Town, Makerere University, University of Nairobi, University of Ibadan, and University of Ghana with continental initiatives like the African Union, African Development Bank, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, World Bank and international partners including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, European Union, United Kingdom Department for International Development, and United States Agency for International Development. It aims to strengthen capacity across fields through linkages with networks such as Association of African Universities, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, African Academy of Sciences, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and Economic Community of West African States while aligning with agendas like the Sustainable Development Goals, Agenda 2063, Malabo Declaration, Global Health Security Agenda, and Paris Agreement.

Overview

The Centre functions as a nexus between flagship institutions such as University of Pretoria, Cairo University, Addis Ababa University, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and Stellenbosch University and policy bodies like African Development Bank Group, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, Southern African Development Community, West African Health Organization and funders including Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, Canadian International Development Agency, JICA, and GIZ. It offers postgraduate programs linked to disciplines involving entities like World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and World Meteorological Organization, while collaborating with research projects associated with Human Heredity and Health in Africa Consortium, H3Africa, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and Stop TB Partnership.

History and Development

Origins trace to multi-lateral dialogues involving African Union Commission, Economic Commission for Africa, New Partnership for Africa's Development, United Nations Development Programme, and International Development Association where pilot centers emerged at universities such as University of Lagos, University of Dar es Salaam, Cheikh Anta Diop University, University of Zimbabwe, and University of Zambia. Expansion accelerated following investments from World Bank Group programs, partnerships with Overseas Development Institute, Institute of Development Studies, Centre for Global Development, and endorsements from leaders tied to institutions like Nelson Mandela Foundation, Kofi Annan Foundation, African Center for Strategic Studies, and Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

Governance and Funding

Governance models combine university senates (e.g., Council of the University of Nairobi, Governing Council of Makerere University), national ministries such as Ministry of Education (Nigeria), Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (Egypt), Ministry of Science and Technology (Kenya), and oversight by regional bodies like African Union Development Agency and Economic Community of West African States Commission. Funding streams include grants from World Bank, African Development Bank, European Commission, Global Affairs Canada, philanthropic sources like Wellcome Trust, BMGF, and income from partnerships with corporations such as MTN Group, Dangote Group, Safaricom, and consultancies tied to PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, KPMG, and McKinsey & Company.

Programs and Activities

Activities span postgraduate degrees affiliated with Virginia Commonwealth University exchanges, short courses co-delivered with Imperial College London, capacity workshops with London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and applied research projects with Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge. The Centre hosts laboratories accredited by standards like International Organization for Standardization certifications and runs initiatives connected to African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Bioversity International, CIFOR, and ILRI.

Impact and Evaluations

Evaluations by organizations such as Independent Evaluation Group (World Bank), African Development Bank Evaluation Department, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, OECD Development Assistance Committee, and think tanks including Chatham House, Brookings Institution, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Centre for Strategic and International Studies assess outcomes in workforce development, research outputs cited in Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and policy influence evidenced in white papers for African Union summits, G20 Africa agendas, Commonwealth Secretariat reports, and regional strategies like ECOWAS Vision 2020.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Collaborators include universities such as University of Birmingham, Cornell University, UCL, Monash University, University of Tokyo, and research organizations like SCRIPPS Institution of Oceanography, Max Planck Society, CNRS, Fraunhofer Society, CSIR (South Africa), National Institutes of Health, and multilaterals such as UNICEF, UNDP, WHO, FAO, World Bank Group, and regional entities like African Export-Import Bank.

Challenges and Criticisms

Critiques cited by analysts from Transparency International, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, International Crisis Group, and academic commentators at London School of Economics, University of Cape Town, University of the Witwatersrand, and University of Nairobi concern sustainability, equity of access, bureaucratic hurdles tied to donor conditionalities from International Monetary Fund and World Bank, brain drain to institutions like Imperial College London and University of Oxford, and measurement difficulties noted by RAND Corporation and Pew Research Center.

Category:Research institutes in Africa