The National Universities Commission (NUC), on November 3, 2025, hosted the official launch of the Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) Alliance and unveiled the Compendium on Key Achievements and Impacts of the ACE Project (https://ace.edu.ng/ace_report). The event marked a significant milestone in advancing higher education, research, and innovation in Africa, a vision in which the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN) has played a pivotal role. The ACE Alliance represents a new phase of collaboration among Centres across the continent, celebrating over a decade of transformative work that has elevated the quality of teaching, research output, and partnerships within African universities.
The launch was performed by the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, in the presence of the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, and former Executive Secretaries Prof. Munzali Jubril, Prof. Julius A. Okojie, and Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed. Also in attendance were representatives of the programme’s key partners and donor agencies, including the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), Association of African Universities (AAU), French Development Agency (AFD), the Federal Ministry of Education, and the Federal Ministry of Finance.
The Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN) has provided crucial digital infrastructure and connectivity support to several ACE Impact Centres in Nigeria, enabling seamless access to research networks, advanced computing resources, and cloud-hosted platforms for collaboration. Through its high-speed broadband services, NgREN has strengthened the capacity of these Centres to share data, publish research outputs, and engage with regional and international partners in real time. As part of its digital support to the ACE Project, NgREN developed and hosts the ACE Equipment Finder Portal (https://ace.edu.ng/eq_finder) on its High-Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure. The portal enables students and researchers across Africa to easily locate and access laboratory equipment, studios, and other research facilities procured through the ACE Projects that may be available for collaborative use in various Centres of Excellence.
Speaking on NgREN’s contribution, the Managing Director, Dr Joshua Atah, emphasized that digital infrastructure is a critical enabler of the ACE mission. “Our partnership with the ACE Impact Project has ensured that research institutions in Nigeria can operate at the frontiers of knowledge and innovation. By providing reliable connectivity, cloud hosting, and digital identity services, NgREN is helping universities translate research into real-world impact,” he said.
The Honourable Minister later led guests on a tour of an exhibition where various Centres of Excellence showcased groundbreaking innovations and research outcomes, a testament to how Nigerian institutions are translating academic knowledge into tangible solutions that address national and regional challenges.
NgREN remains committed to supporting the ACE Alliance and other higher education initiatives that advance Africa’s knowledge economy through digital transformation, research collaboration, and shared infrastructure.
The Executive Secretary, NUC, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu
Exhibition Booth at the ACE Alliance Launch
