Speke Resort Munyonyo has become the center of Africa’s scientific community as more than 10,000 PhD holders, innovators, and top researchers gather for the 20th Technical and Advisory Meeting of the Africa Centers of Excellence (ACE).
The prestigious four-day conference, running from December 8-11, marks one of the continent’s most influential platforms for advancing research, postgraduate education, and innovation.
The meeting was officially opened this morning by Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, Rebecca Kadaga, who hailed the ACE program as a pillar in strengthening Africa’s knowledge-driven future.
“This gathering reflects our continent’s commitment to building a competitive scientific workforce capable of transforming our development agenda,” Kadaga said during her opening remarks.
Unlike previous editions, this year’s conference places emphasis on developing Africa’s human capital, bridging the gap between universities and industry, and ensuring that scientific breakthroughs translate into real-world solutions.
Established in 2016 by the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) in partnership with African governments and the World Bank, the ACE initiative supports advanced postgraduate training and applied research across priority areas such as Agriculture, Health, Education, Industry, and Applied Statistics.
Program documents shared at the conference highlight that ACE II has so far nurtured over 9,500 Master’s and PhD students across 29 specialized centers in eight African countries. Women account for more than a third of this enrollment, signaling steady progress toward gender balance in science and research fields.
The initiative has strengthened institutions in 18 universities, forming regional hubs designed to tackle Africa’s most pressing development challenges through innovation-driven solutions.
As delegates convene in Munyonyo, discussions are expected to focus on boosting research partnerships, commercializing scientific output, and positioning African universities at the heart of socio-economic transformation.
Uganda’s hosting of this milestone 20th anniversary meeting further elevates its profile as a rising regional hub for academic excellence, research collaboration, and high-level scientific dialogue.
