African Leaders Push Higher Education Transformation

ACCRA, Ghana, September 25, 2026: African higher education leaders, government officials, development partners and industry representatives have called for a shared continental approach to transforming universities into stronger drivers of innovation, employment and economic development.

The call emerged from the inaugural Higher Education Transformation Convening in Accra, hosted by the Mastercard Foundation under the theme, “Reimagining Higher Education for Africa’s Human Capital Development.”

The gathering brought together representatives of higher education institutions, the African Union, government ministries, regional and global financial institutions, private-sector partners and young people to discuss how Africa’s universities can better respond to the continent’s development and workforce needs.

Participants focused on improving the relevance and quality of higher education, strengthening university-industry partnerships, expanding research and innovation, and preparing young Africans for emerging technologies and employment opportunities.

Mastercard Foundation President and CEO Sewit Ahderom said transforming higher education should go beyond improving individual universities and contribute directly to the economies and communities around them.

“Transformation is not just a better university. It is a university that makes the whole economy around it work better for young people,” Ahderom said.

She called for curricula developed in collaboration with employers, qualifications that better demonstrate graduates’ skills, stronger preparation for emerging technologies, and research that moves beyond university campuses into industry, government and communities.

Participants also discussed the need for universities to become centers of discovery and problem-solving while concentrating research, innovation and skills development in areas where Africa has significant opportunities for economic growth.

Young people at the gathering called for greater involvement in decisions affecting education, employment and economic opportunities, arguing that their experiences and aspirations should help shape policies and institutions.

Dr. John Nkengasong, Executive Director for Higher Education and Strategic Initiatives at the Mastercard Foundation, described Africa’s growing youth population as a major opportunity but said realizing its potential would require stronger higher education institutions.

“Higher education transformation is not simply an education agenda. It is an economic imperative,” Nkengasong said.

He called for governments, universities, industry, investors and development partners to treat education as a strategic investment and work collectively to strengthen pathways from education to employment.

The discussions were aligned with the African Union’s Decade of Education and Skills Development, 2025–2034, which seeks stronger education systems, improved learning outcomes and skills development consistent with the continent’s long-term development priorities, including Agenda 2063.

Professor Saidou Madougou, Director of the African Union Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, said greater investment and cooperation are required to transform the sector.

According to Madougou, spending on higher education averages less than 0.8 percent of gross domestic product, while research and development receives less than 0.5 percent of national budgets.

He called for stronger collaboration among African universities and increased faculty and student mobility to allow knowledge, talent and innovation to move more easily across national borders.

The Accra gathering also hosted the inaugural Africa Higher Education for Transformation, or AHEFT, Prize ceremony, recognizing institutions pursuing broad and sustained changes in teaching, research, innovation, student employment transitions and health outcomes.

Five institutions were named 2026 laureates: Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia; the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering in Burkina Faso; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana; Muni University in Uganda; and the University of Rwanda.

Each institution will receive US$3 million to expand initiatives aimed at increasing educational opportunities and strengthening higher education outcomes for young Africans.

The prize is backed by a US$500 million commitment and is expected to recognize at least 150 African institutions over the next decade.

Susan Chomba, Chair of the AHEFT Jury, said applications demonstrated that universities across the continent are exploring different approaches to improving learning, preparing students for employment, strengthening research and responding to local challenges.

She said the inaugural laureates were selected for approaches that reflected their respective contexts while providing lessons that could be adapted by other institutions.

Applications for the 2027 AHEFT Prize are expected to open later this year.

Participants concluded that transforming Africa’s higher education system will require coordinated action by universities, governments, industry, investors and development partners, with greater connections among education, employment, research and investment.

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