African Leaders Push for a Shared Vision for Higher Education Transformation to Advance Economic Progress

Leaders from Africa’s higher education institutions, the African Union, government ministries, global and regional financial institutions, industry partners and young people gathered this week in Accra, Ghana, for the inaugural Higher Education Transformation Convening hosted by the Mastercard Foundation ( http://www.MastercardFdn.org ). The Convening also marked the first Africa Higher Education for Transformation (AHEFT) Prize ( https://apo-opa.co/4xEFdET ) award ceremony, recognizing institutions advancing sustained, institution-wide transformation. Under the theme, “Reimagining Higher Education for Africa’s Human Capital Development,” delegates explored what a relevant, high-quality, impactful, and sustainable higher education system should deliver for Africa’s young people. “Transformation is not just a better university. It is a university that makes the whole economy around it work better for young people,” said Sewit Ahderom, President and CEO, Mastercard Foundation. “Four things make that real. Curricula built with employers, so that what is taught is what the country needs, and learning leads somewhere. Credentials that say what a graduate can do, not how long they sat, a