1. Progress of ACE II, and Program Overview
“University-Private Sector and Industry Partnership Forum for Innovation, Research and Development”
Kigali, Oct 2017
Eugene Mutimura, PhD
ACE II
Project Coordinator
Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA),
Regional Facilitating Unit (RFU)
18th October 2017

2. Outline of the Presentation
Background of ACE II Project
Project Progress to-date
Program overview
Goals of the Forum
Expected Outcome of Forum

3. Africa Development Challenges
1. Background of ACE II
Africa Development Challenges
Sub Saharan Africa is a land of youth, rich natural resources, and great opportunities and promises
Remarkable growth, last 15 years, still the world’s poorest region, faces challenges in maintaining sustainable and inclusive economic growth
Commitment from African governments to transform the continent through “industrialization” and “regional integration”
Higher Education Gross Enrollment ratio ~6 %; less than 30% major in science, health, ICT and engineering programs.
Low research output

4. Benefits of Centers of Excellence
Promote specialization and economy of scale
Promote mobility of students and faculty
Concentrate limited resources to develop best talent
Knowledge spill-over and networking nationally regionally and share best practice
Demonstration Effect: Pilot Higher education reform

5. Driver for Growth in Higher Education
Skills development
For productivity
For competitiveness
Access to knowledge / information
Application; problem-solving
Remaining relevant
Adapting to change
Generating new knowledge; research

6. What are Centers of Excellences- ACE II?

7. Forging a Network to Support Sustainable Development in Africa

8. Results-based Financing Model
Funds disbursed only when the agreed results are achieved:
A shift from input-based to performance/results-based financing
Respect for institutional autonomy and leadership, and still aligns institutional objectives with development goals
Improves institutional capacity to plan, decide and implement
Agrees on a set of results which are measurable, achievable and within control of institution
Makes funding allocation objective, predictable, and transparent
Uses government procurement rules to strengthen capacity
Increases accountability

9. Overall Goals of ACE II
Outreach and impact on society, gender and regional equity
Build institutional capacity to provide quality post graduate education of relevance to the job market relevancy
Build institutional capacity to conduct applied research of high quality, which is relevant to development challenges
Build/enhance partnerships with other academic institutions (national, regional and international)
Enhance partnerships with industry and private sector institutions
Teach through their benchmarked programs to help other institutions improve quality
Improve governance and management of the institution at all levels

10. Project Development Objective (PDO) of ACE II
To strengthen selected Eastern and Southern African higher education institutions to deliver quality post-graduate education and build collaborative research capacity in the regional priority areas.
Component 1
Strengthening Africa Centers of Excellence (ACEs) in Regional Priority Areas
(US$: Millions)
Component 2
Capacity Building Support to ACEs through Regional Interventions
(US$: 3.0 Millions)
Component 3
Facilitation, Coordination, and Administration of Project Implementation
(US$: 5.0 Millions)

11. At the regional level, guided by a Regional Steering Committee (RSC)
ACE II Project is coordinated & administered by IUCEA as the Regional Facilitation Unit; IUCEA was competitively selected
Implements Component 2 & 3
Provides M&E support to ACEs
Builds capacity and facilitates knowledge-sharing
Supports partnership development and operations
Supported by a National Steering Committee (NSC), at each country level
At the regional level, guided by a Regional Steering Committee (RSC)

12. 2. Update on ACE II Recent Developments
The ACE II Project officially launched on Oct 26, 2016, in Nairobi
7/8 countries have been declared effective, along with IUCEA. Zambia is about to become effective.
IUCEA in the process of contracting independent verification firms for successive DLIs
1st Annual Work Plan along with budget for all ACEs have been developed, reviewed, and approved
ACEs are developing new Ph.D., Master, and short term courses, establishing partnerships with global leading higher education institutions as well as industries

13. Update on Effectiveness of ACE II Countries

14. ACE II Results – Regional Student Enrollment by Gender
Indicator:
Count of students enrolled in ACEs disaggregated by gender

15. ACE II Results – Total Student Enrollment by Gender
Indicator:
Count of students enrolled in ACEs disaggregated by gender

16. ACE II Results – Project Development Objective
PDO
Baseline
2017
MOUs on partnerships for collaboration 66 84
Accredited educational Programs offered by ACEs 59 58
Direct Project beneficiaries (Total)
779
1195
Direct Project beneficiaries (Females)
312
398

17. ACE II Results – Intermediate Result (Component 1: Strengthening ACEs in Regional Priority Areas)
Intermediate Results (Component one)
Baseline
2017
Faculty and PhD Student Exchange- Research & Teaching (Total) 64
138
Faculty and PhD Student Exchange- Research & Teaching (Females) 16 19
Amount of externally generated revenue by ACEs (million USD)
6.1
12.4
Internationally recognized publications (Total)
194
308
Internationally recognized publications (Co-authored with regional collaborators) 15
122
No. of institutions hosting ACEs participating in the PASET benchmarking 7

18. 3. Overview of Daily Proceedings
Day 1 Wednesday: 18th October 2017

19. Day 1 Wednesday: 18th October 2017

20. Day 2 Thursday: 19th October 2017

21. Day 2 Thursday: 19th October 2017

22. Goals of the Forum
To provide progress and update on achievements and prospects of the ACE II Project; and
To engage in bilateral discussions with stakeholders on Supporting ACEs to strengthen Partnerships with Private Sector and Industry

23. Important Questions to Drive Outcome
“How do ACEs collaborate with private companies- in the Center Governance Advisory Bodies of ACEs Activities?”
How do ACEs collaborate with private sector and industry to “commercialize professional education, research and innovation?”
How do ACEs promote/support/facilitate graduate students/Faculty with Innovative ideas to provide relevant business solutions?
How do ACEs promote mutual benefit to create ‘customer-ordered training programs’?
How do ACEs create/promote business incubators/ learning factories e.g. Labs, Centers for services solutions etc. e.g. skills development
Facilitate graduate students access internerships/ practical training

24. Thank YOU!
As I close, we would like to express our gratitude to Leaders of Centers of Excellence