African leaders call for higher education reforms to drive economic growth

African leaders, universities, governments and industry players have called for major reforms in higher education to ensure universities produce skills, research and innovation that can drive economic growth and create jobs.

The call was made in Accra, Ghana, during the inaugural Higher Education Transformation Convening hosted by the MasterCard Foundation, which brought together higher education institutions, the African Union, government ministries, financial institutions, industry and young people.

The meeting, held under the theme, “Reimagining Higher Education for Africa’s Human Capital Development,” focused on how universities can better prepare young people for a changing labour market while strengthening research, innovation and links with industry.

MasterCard Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Sewit Ahderom said universities must move beyond traditional teaching and become institutions that contribute directly to economic development.

“Transformation is not just a better university. It is a university that makes the whole economy around it work better for young people,” Ahderom said.

She called for curricula developed with employers, qualifications that demonstrate what graduates can do and can be recognized across borders, and stronger investment in technology, research and innovation.

Participants also called for universities to strengthen partnerships with the private sector so that training and research respond to changing workforce needs.

The discussions further focused on ensuring research moves beyond university campuses to support industries, governments and communities, while encouraging institutions to concentrate on areas where Africa has strategic advantages and the greatest potential for economic impact.

Dr John Nkengasong, Executive Director, Higher Education and Strategic Initiatives at the MasterCard Foundation, said Africa’s growing youth population presented a major opportunity that would require stronger higher education systems.

“Higher education transformation is not simply an education agenda. It is an economic imperative,” Nkengasong said.

He said governments, universities, industry, investors and development partners must work together to develop systems that enable young people to acquire relevant skills and access decent work.

The discussions are aligned with the African Union’s Decade of Education and Skills Development 2025–2034, which seeks to strengthen education and skills development in line with the continent’s long-term development priorities under Agenda 2063.

Prof Saidou Madougou, Director of the African Union Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, called on African countries to increase investment in higher education and research.

He said higher education spending currently averages less than 0.8 per cent of GDP, while research and development receives less than 0.5 per cent of national budgets.

Madougou called for greater collaboration among universities, increased movement of students and faculty across African countries and systems that allow knowledge, talent and innovation to move across borders.

The convening also saw the inaugural Africa Higher Education for Transformation (AHEFT) Prize awarded to five institutions recognized for implementing institution-wide reforms.

The 2026 laureates are Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering in Burkina Faso, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, Muni University in Uganda and the University of Rwanda.

The prize, backed by a $500 million commitment, aims to recognise at least 150 institutions across Africa over the next decade. Each winning institution will receive $3 million to scale initiatives aimed at expanding opportunities for young people.

AHEFT Jury Chair Susan Chomba said the inaugural winners demonstrated practical approaches to improving teaching, research, innovation and the transition from education to employment.

Young people participating in the meeting also called for greater involvement in decisions affecting education, employment and access to opportunities.

The meeting concluded with calls for governments, universities, industry, investors and development partners to move from commitments to coordinated action, with participants urged to identify system-level changes that can be advanced by 2028.