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The Federal Government said it was banking on funding support to the tune of $150 million from the World Bank for the implementation of the Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) Innovate Project.

The innovate project is aimed at sustaining cutting-edge research and innovation in Nigerian universities, and is the next phase of the World Bank-funded ACE project.

Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Abdullahi Ribadu, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja, during the official launch of the ACE Alliance and the unveiling of a four-volume Compendium of Key Achievements and Impacts of the ACE project in Nigeria.

Ribadu said the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa, had formally written to the Federal Ministry of Finance to engage the World Bank for the funding, which would drive the next phase of the ACE initiative.

According to him, the request for $150 million in new World Bank support, signals Nigeria’s determination to consolidate the gains of the ACE Project and institutionalise excellence in research, innovation, and postgraduate education.

The NUC chief noted that the ACE Project represents one of the most transformative initiatives in the history of higher education in sub-Saharan Africa as over the past decade, 17 Nigerian universities, hosting 20 Centres of Excellence have produced world-class research, postgraduate training, and innovations that address national and regional development priorities in health, agriculture, ICT, education, and engineering.

Ribadu added that the new ACE Innovate Project would build on these achievements while expanding collaboration with other development partners, including the African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, to ensure sustainability beyond donor cycles.

He stated: “We will continue to engage other development partners to explore new collaborative frameworks that can build on the lessons of the ACE Project and the NUC’s goal of ensuring a university system that is at par with its contemporaries globally.

“Some of these partners we are currently in talks with include the African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa. This is important because we aim to sustain excellence, expand opportunities, and ensure that the structures and systems established under ACE continue to thrive beyond the project’s lifecycle.

“We also remain committed to institutionalising the ACEs within their host universities, ensuring they remain engines of innovation, policy influence, and capacity building for generations to come.”

The NUC boss also inaugurated an interim steering committee for the newly formed ACE Alliance, chaired by Prof. Emenike Ejiogu of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to drive collaboration, research exchange, and policy engagement among Nigeria’s Centres of Excellence.

He expressed confidence that the project will deepen research collaboration, and advance Nigeria’s competitiveness in higher education.

Also speaking, the Minister of Education, Alausa, noted that the ACE Project, funded by the World Bank and co-financed by the French Development Agency, AFD, has significantly strengthened Nigeria’s position as a leader in African higher education, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises education as the bedrock of national development.

The minister said recognising the immense impact of the ACE Project to the Nigerian University System (NUS) he did not hesitate when NUC requested for approval to approach key development partners such as the African Development Bank, AfDB, the Islamic Development Bank, IsDB, and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, BADEA, to mobilise additional support for the Blueprint for the Rapid Revitalisation of University Education in Nigeria.

On the Compendium of key achievements of the ACE projects, a landmark documentation of the ACE journey, the minister said it captures over 2,000 peer-reviewed publications, a directory of scholars and equipment, and a comprehensive record of innovations achieved by Nigerian universities under the World Bank-supported project.

He noted that with the ACE Alliance and the Innovate Project, Nigeria is poised to transform its universities into engines of growth, innovation, and sustainable development.

Alausa said: “One of the most remarkable achievements of the ACE Project is its contribution to the internationalisation of education. From the report before me, the Nigerian ACEs have attracted students and faculty from across Africa, fostering cross-border knowledge exchange and positioning Nigeria as a regional hub for excellence.

“This aligns with our broader agenda to integrate Nigeria into global education data systems, ensuring that our institutions are recognised and ranked among the best worldwide. The ACE Project has, therefore, positioned Nigeria not only as a consumer but also as a provider of high-quality transnational education, and through the ACE Alliance, our Centres can continue to forge stronger partnerships with leading institutions worldwide, promoting joint degrees, faculty exchanges, and collaborative research that benefit students and faculty alike.

“To remain competitive, however, we must continue to benchmark our systems against global standards, leveraging robust data to guide policy, planning, and performance improvement.”

He also stated that by fostering excellence in research, teaching, and innovation, the ACEs are helping to shape the skilled workforce and knowledge base our nation needs to compete in a dynamic global economy.

National Coordinator of the ACE Project in Nigeria, Dr Joshua Atah, described the launch of the ACE Alliance Project as “a celebration of visionary investment, innovation, partnership, and transformation” that has reshaped the nation’s higher education landscape since the project’s inception in 2014.

Atah noted that Nigeria has led the continent in the implementation of the project under ACE I, in 2014, with 10 Centres of Excellence, and later under ACE Impact, in 2019, with 17 Centres supported by the World Bank and Agence Française de Développement, AFD.

“Over the past decade, Nigeria’s ACEs have evolved into engines of innovation and excellence. Collectively, they have attracted over $145 million in performance-based funding and mobilised additional resources exceeding N3.9 billion, $46 million, €1.78 million, and £2.6 million from diverse sources, all reinvested into research, infrastructure, and capacity building,” he said.

According to him, the Centres have enrolled more than 45,000 students, including participants from over 15 African countries, and produced over 6,600 graduates, among them 1,596 PhDs.

He added that their faculty and students have published more than 4,200 peer-reviewed papers and established over 625 partnerships with industries and research institutions across the world.

Apart from the figures, Atah said, the impact of the ACEs is evident in their response to real-world challenges.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, two Nigerian Centres were designated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as testing laboratories—a testament to the relevance of their research infrastructure,” he stated.

He explained that ACE Alliance represents the next phase of the initiative, a bold step toward sustainability and a collaborative platform to consolidate the gains of the past decade, deepen partnerships, influence policy, and attract new investments for innovation and regional development.

“As we look ahead, the ACE story is proof that with vision, partnership, and persistence, African universities can compete globally and contribute meaningfully to the continent’s transformation,” he said.