Africa Center of Excellence (ACE) Opening Remarks on ACE Country Review Workshop Wednesday, April 26, 2023 By Mr. Sayuti Saaka Dir of Administration on behalf of Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai Deputy Director General

Dear distinguished participants and centre leaders,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the Africa Center of Excellence project Country Review Workshop here in Accra. This workshop is an opportunity for us to come together and review the progress made in our efforts to promote excellence in education, research, and innovation in our respective centres, particularly in the last 6 months.

As you all know, the Africa Center of Excellence project for Development Impact is a flagship initiative of the World Bank Group aimed at strengthening the capacity of universities in Africa to deliver high-quality education and research in key areas of development in the last 3 years. The project is in its last year of implementation and suffice to say that through this project, a critical mass of highly skilled professionals who can drive innovation, promote sustainable development, and transform our economies have been built.

The project has equally made significant strides in achieving its objectives, and this workshop provides an excellent opportunity for us to share experiences, exchange ideas, and learn from one another particularly that sustainability is key after the funding from the World Bank ends in 2024. It is therefore important to review progress made in the implementation of the project and identify challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned.

I encourage all of us to actively participate in the workshop, engage in discussions, and share insights that will help us improve the project's outcomes. Let us also take advantage of this opportunity to forge new partnerships and collaborations that will enable us to leverage our strengths and achieve greater impact.

Once again, I welcome you all to this workshop, and I wish us fruitful deliberations.

Thank you.