The Ghanaian government, through the Ministry of Finance, has pledged to fully cover a $156 million budget shortfall after the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) withdrew its funding. This is a bold move to support scientific research in Ghana, according to President H.E. John Dramani Mahama.
This declaration was made by President Mahama at the 2025 Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) Forum opening ceremony, which is being held in Accra to commemorate the ACE initiative’s tenth anniversary. “ACE@10: Celebrating a Decade of Impact, Innovation, and Excellence” was the theme of the three-day event.
He referred to the sustainability of research institutions as a “shared duty” and exhorted academic institutions to increase their own resource mobilization efforts and fortify their alliances with business.
“We must move beyond donor dependency and invest in our research institutions as a matter of national priority,” he added.
The ACE@10 Forum was jointly hosted by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, the Association of African Universities (AAU), the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), with support from the World Bank and the French Development Agency (AFD). It brought together African Ministers of Education and Finance, Vice-Chancellors, Chief Directors and officials from foreign development agencies.
Our Education System Should Be Protected From Politics— Asantehene
Delivering the keynote address on ‘The Vision for Higher Education for Africa and the Journey So Far – 10 Years of ACE’, Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, lauded the ACE initiative as a successful model that is helping to transform the African higher education landscape. She cited a number of accomplishments, such as the growth of postgraduate education in important fields, the rise in female researchers, the improvement of teaching and learning environments, and the greater involvement of industry and the community.
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo also used the opportunity to showcase the significant contributions of the three ACEs hosted by the University of Ghana, WACCI (West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement), WACCBIP (West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens), and WAGMC (West African Genetic Medicine Centre) to regional development, especially in areas of food security, health and genetics.
During the forum’s opening day, which included plenary discussions aimed at creating a strategic roadmap for the future of the ACE program, University of Ghana scholar and WACCI Director Prof. Eric Danquah presented the Center’s financial sustainability model, which places a premium on long-term funding partnerships and creative income-generation strategies. The VC also urged African leaders to learn from changes in international aid and take action to ensure the financial sustainability of research and training centers throughout the continent.
