Addis Ababa University Wins $3M Mastercard Foundation Award

Addis Ababa University has secured a 3 million US dollar grant from the Mastercard Foundation after being selected among the first five recipients of its Africa Higher Education for Transformation Prize, providing funding for the university to expand its work in research, innovation and institutional development.

The university received the award at the inaugural Higher Education Transformation Convening in Accra, Ghana. The event brought together African university leaders, government officials, African Union representatives, financial institutions, private-sector organisations, development partners and young people.

The prize is designed to recognise African higher education institutions that have made institutional changes in areas including research and innovation, teaching and learning, the transition of students into employment and health outcomes.

Addis Ababa University was selected in the research and innovation category, according to the university. The funding will support efforts to expand opportunities for young people while strengthening the institution’s capacity in research and innovation.

The university is one of five institutions receiving the inaugural award. The other recipients are 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.

The AHEFT programme is backed by 500 million US dollars and plans to recognise at least 150 African higher education institutions over the next decade.

Samuel Kifle, president of Addis Ababa University, said African universities have a role in preparing young people not only to participate in future economies but also to shape them.

“Africa’s greatest asset is its youth,” Kifle said in a recorded message to the convening. He said universities should help young people gain access to quality education, research, innovation and economic opportunities.

Discussions at the Accra convening centred on how African universities can strengthen their role as centres of research, knowledge and innovation. Participants also examined links between higher education, industry and communities, including ways to move university research into commercial and social applications.

The programme also places emphasis on strengthening pathways from higher education into employment and entrepreneurship, particularly as African countries seek to expand opportunities for a growing young population.

Source: FSX Business News