The Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) project in Nigeria will officially conclude its current phase of funding by June 30, prompting calls for beneficiary institutions to prioritize sustainability over donor support.

At the pre-closure retreat for the ACE Impact Project held in Abuja on Wednesday, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, praised the initiative for transforming Nigeria's academic institutions into globally competitive centers of knowledge generation, innovation, and development.

From Projects to Permanent Assets

Prof. Ribadu emphasized that the Centres must transition from temporary project status into "permanent institutional assets." He urged vice-chancellors and center leaders to strengthen their sustainability strategies, secure diverse funding sources, and establish governance frameworks that can attract both public and private investment.

"This project has empowered our universities and contributed significantly to regional integration and internationalization," Ribadu stated. "ACE Centres have produced high-quality master's and PhD graduates, secured international accreditations, attracted major external funding, and driven innovation across key sectors such as health, agriculture, STEM, and education."

He added, "This is not the end, but the beginning of a new phase of responsibility. We must scale up the gains of the past decade and ensure these Centres remain engines of growth and regional leadership."

Significant Achievements Across 17 Centers

Joshua Attah, the National Coordinator of the ACE Project, highlighted that the initiative spans 17 centers housed within 14 Nigerian universities and has made remarkable progress in research output, postgraduate training, and regional academic integration.

"These projects are not going away, what's ending is the funding, but the infrastructure, the capacity, and the benefits to students and researchers remain firmly in place," Attah explained.

According to Attah, the centers have been instrumental in training master's and PhD students, including a growing number of foreign scholars, marking a revival in Nigeria's regional academic leadership.

The ACE impact has expanded to include 53 centers across 11 countries, with Nigeria hosting the highest number at 17 Centers of Excellence. This positions Nigerian universities at the forefront of specialized research and advanced education in Africa.

As the funding phase concludes, the focus now shifts to ensuring the long-term viability of these academic centers through innovative financing models and strategic partnerships that will sustain their impact on Nigeria's educational landscape.