By Monica Kayombo/Zambia, Lusaka,
AFRICAN universities have been challenged to move beyond lecture rooms and academic qualifications and become engines of transformation that equip young people to create jobs, drive innovation and solve problems in their communities.
The call was made during higher education discussions in Accra, Ghana, where stakeholders stressed that Africa’s universities must strengthen the link between education, employment, research, investment and the needs of communities.
The discussions brought together stakeholders around the inaugural Africa Higher Education and Future of Work Transformation (AHEFT) Prize, which recognised universities demonstrating innovative approaches to transforming higher education and its impact on society.
Susan Chomba, Chair of the AHEFT Jury, said the applications showed that African institutions were increasingly rethinking how they prepare students for the world of work and how they use research and innovation to address local challenges.
“Across the applications, we saw a strong appetite for change and institutions rethinking everything from how students learn and prepare for the world of work, to how universities engage with industry, strengthen research and innovation, and respond to local challenges,” Ms Chomba said.
She said the inaugural laureates demonstrated that there was no single route to transforming higher education, but that institutions could generate practical lessons that others could adapt to their own contexts.
The need for universities to place young people at the centre of Africa’s transformation was underscored by Samuel Kifle, President of Addis Ababa University.
“Africa’s greatest resource is its young people,” Prof Kifle said, stressing that universities had a responsibility not only to prepare young people to participate in the future but also to equip them to shape it.
He said investing in quality education, research, innovation and opportunity was an investment in the future of the continent.
For Muni University in Uganda, transformation must also extend beyond the university campus.
Vice Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Anguma Simon Katrini said African universities needed to move beyond the traditional “ivory tower” model and work directly with communities to understand their challenges and apply knowledge to address them.
“The future of African universities is not within our walls alone; it is also in our communities,” he said.
At the University of Rwanda, Vice Chancellor Prof. Kayihura M. Didas said the institution’s recognition affirmed its commitment to producing a health workforce capable of responding to the needs of the country and its communities.
He said support from the Mastercard Foundation would help the university strengthen health education, research and innovation and improve its ability to translate knowledge into meaningful impact.
The transformation agenda comes as African countries grapple with the challenge of preparing a rapidly growing young population for productive and dignified livelihoods.
The Mastercard Foundation is supporting this agenda through its Young Africa Works strategy, which aims to enable 30 million young people to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030.
The Foundation works with organisations across Africa to advance education and financial inclusion and expand opportunities for young people.
Professor El Hadji Bamba Diaw, Director General of 2iE, said the recognition of his institution represented the culmination of efforts to provide young Africans with inclusive, high-quality scientific and technical education that responds to community needs.
Meanwhile, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Vice-Chancellor Prof. Christian Agyare said the institution’s partnership with the Foundation was helping it contribute to changes in people’s lives, systems and policies.
But stakeholders cautioned that universities cannot deliver this transformation alone.
They called for governments, higher education institutions, industry, investors and development partners to work together to drive system-level changes by 2028.
The goal is to strengthen the connections between education, employment, research and investment so that more young Africans are equipped to learn, earn and lead.
Applications for the 2027 AHEFT Prize cycle will open later this year, with African institutions advancing sustained transformation encouraged to apply.
