ACE: Nigerian Varsities, World Bank Sign Performance Contracts
Barring any last minute change, the Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) Project will be declared effective in Nigeria on May 15, following the recent signing of performance contracts by the 10 Nigerian universities that won the ACE grants with the federal
TThe 10 Nigerian universities selected for the Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) Project have crossed the last hurdle before the release of the first tranche of funds to them with the signing of performance contracts with the federal government and the World Bank.
Following the signing of the Performance Contracts, it is expected that effectiveness conditions and final paper work will be concluded, after which submissions of legal opinions will be done to ensure that by 15 May, 2015, the ACE Project can be declared effective in Nigeria. This is to be followed by the disbursement of the first tranche to all ACEs in Nigeria through the National Universities Commission (NUC). The centres will then be expected to submit their Eligible Expenditure Programmes (EEPs) to the commission within the same month.
The ACE Project was launched in 2013 by the governments of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo, with support from the World Bank.
The objective of the project is to promote regional specialisation among participating universities within areas that address particular regional development challenges and strengthen the capacities of these universities to deliver high quality training and applied research.
The project consists of two components; the first is to build capacity in competitively selected institutions to produce in-demand, high skilled, labour and applied research. The second component will facilitate the regional impact and benefit of the strengthened Africa Centres of Excellence through talent and labour mobility and higher education services.
Under ACE, grant awards will be made to one lead institution, with collaborating partners, up to a maximum sum of $8 million per proposal which must address specific regional development challenges primarily relying upon fields such as Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Health Sciences and Agricultural Sciences.
Following the call for proposals in July 2013, the NUC pursed the scheme vigorously to ensure the participation of Nigerian universities. This resulted in the huge participation and consequently, a total of 27 out of the 51 proposals submitted by the seven African countries competing for the project came from Nigeria. This represents 52.94 per cent of the proposals officially submitted by Benin (four), Burkina Faso (four), Cameroon (four), Ghana (seven), Nigeria (27), Senegal (three) and Togo (two).
The first selection was finalised by the ACE Project Steering Committee at a meeting in Dakar, Senegal on October 28, 2013, where a total of 10 Nigerian universities won the ACE grants out of a total of 19 grants approved for West and Central African sub-regions.
The 10 Nigerian universities chosen as ACE and their project titles are: Redeemer’s University, Mowe, Ogun State (Africa Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, ACEGID); African University of Science and Technology, Abuja (PAN African Materials Institute, PAMI); Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (Centre for Agricultural Development and Sustainable Environment); Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (Centre of Excellence on Neglected Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology); University of Jos, (Phytomedicine Research and Development, ACEPRD).
The others are University of Benin (Centre for Excellence in Reproductive Health and Innovation); University of Port-Harcourt (ACE Centre for Oil Field Chemicals); Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (OAU Knowledge Park: A Model for National Science Technology and Knowledge Park Initiative); Bayero University, Kano (African Centre of Excellence ACE in Dryland Agriculture); and Benue State University, Makurdi (Centre for Food Technology and Research).
Speaking at the ceremony, which held at the National Universities Commission, the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, said the country is in an era where the lives of the citizens are, to a large extent, defined by innovations in the world of technology, adding that the ACE project is a call to action to tackle national and regional challenges.
He said the centres have been entrusted with the responsibility of meeting the demand for skills required for the development of the country and the sub-region, while strengthening their capacities to deliver high-quality training and applied research.
The minister warned the management of the host universities against undue interference and substitution of team members so as to enable the centres to focus on the objectives of the project. He said any change to a team must be cleared with the NUC as government would also not hesitate to reallocate funds from nonperforming ACEs to those that are doing well. “It is therefore your responsibility to work in harmony with your team to ensure that they perform optimally,” he said.
Following the signing of the contracts, Shekarau said the NUC would work with the World Bank to release 10 per cent of the centres’ approved funds to enable them commence work on their projects. He challenged the centres to justify the huge resources that the federal government has invested in the project and expressed hope that results would be evident in no time.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of NUC and Chairman, ACE Steering Committee, Professor Julius Okojie, said the event was a great one for the Nigerian University System (NUS) because it is celebrating a success story, adding that for some time now the standard of education in Nigeria has been criticised severally.
He said the fact that Nigerian universities won 10 out of the 19 ACEs in a process that was strictly merit-based shows that though the system had suffered setback when it lost a significant number of faculty to the diaspora in the past, it has survived and is doing well.
Okojie charged participating universities to ensure stable academic calendars so that the centres could run smoothly. He assured them that adequate provision have been made for funds, facilities and equipment and advised them to make judicious use of the resources.
The NUC boss stated that in signing the contracts, the centre leaders would pledge to make the best of the project, stressing that Nigeria has a viable university system and it is up to every stakeholder to protect it.
In her remarks, the World Bank Education Specialist, Himdat Bayusuf, congratulated the centres for scaling the last hurdle before the release of funds, adding that the centres had been working hard since their selection and some were already breaking grounds in their fields like the Redeemer’s University, which diagnosed the first case of Ebola in Nigeria.
She informed the participating universities that the ACE project also aimed to develop the system, based on what was already on ground.
According to her, the NUC would co-ordinate the disbursement of funds to the centres, while the bank would adopt the results-based financing model for the project, “which means that after the first tranche, funds would be released only to centres that show evidence that previouslyreleased funds had been judiciously utilised.
Bayusuf said the World Bank would also adopt the “you snooze, you lose model”, which means that grants for non-performing centres would be reallocated to other centres that are doing well.
The World Bank’s Country Manager, Chief Bayo Awosemusi, who represented the Country Director, congratulated the centres for a job well done and acknowledged the support of the ministry of education and the dedication of the NUC and the centres.
Awosemusi advised the centres to ensure that team members are not changed except on grounds of gross misappropriation of funds, adding that if the centres keep to the rules, they would succeed. He added that the World Bank’s senior management are closely monitoring the project to assess how the centres would achieve their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
On behalf of participating federal universities, the Vice-Chancellor, Bayero University, Kano, Professor Abubakar Rasheed, expressed delight that the project has become a reality, adding that it is the first time such funds would be injected into the system for research. He pledged that the centres would keep to the terms of the contract.
Speaking for participating state universities, the Vice-Chancellor, Benue State University, Makurdi, Professor Charity Angya, said the university was excited to be part of the project, adding that the dividends of the project had begun to pay off in research drive in the universities. She expressed hope that the project would generate more research in the system.
On his part, the Vice-Chancellor, Redeemer’s University, Professor Debo Adeyewa, thanked Okojie for providing a level playing field for all universities to compete, irrespective of proprietorship. He said the university has published in some international high-ranking journals, as a result of its Centre for Genomics of Infectious Diseases.
The Centre Leader of the University of Benin’s ACE in Reproductive Health and Innovation and Vice-Chancellor-designate of the Ondo State University of Medical Sciences, Professor Friday Okonofua, thanked the NUC, Association of African Universities (AAU) and the World Bank for providing equal opportunities for the centres.