AMN Plus- July 21, 2026
Addis Ababa University (AAU) has been named among five African universities selected as inaugural winners of the Mastercard Foundation’s Africa Higher Education for Transformation (AHEFT) Prize, receiving a 3 million US dollars award to expand initiatives aimed at strengthening research, innovation and education opportunities.
The annual prize, launched with a 500 million US dollars commitment over its first decade, recognises higher education institutions across Africa that have implemented institution-wide reforms to improve learning, research, employment pathways and sector-specific development.
AAU was recognized in the category of Excellence in Research and Innovation for aligning academic research with national priorities and linking scientific work to economic development, public services and community wellbeing.
The university’s integration with Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, which serves about 884,000 patients annually, was highlighted as a model that combines clinical training, research and healthcare delivery at scale.
Alongside AAU, the other inaugural winners are the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE) in Burkina Faso, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana, Muni University in Uganda and the University of Rwanda.
Each institution will receive 3 million US dollars to scale transformation programmes developed in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.
“For twenty years we have seen African institutions rethink what higher education can deliver. The AHEFT Prize turns that proof into momentum: we are backing homegrown excellence with a decade-long commitment, so that universities across the continent become engines of opportunity for millions of young people,” said Sewit Ahderom, president and chief executive officer of Mastercard Foundation.
The prize will support universities working across areas including teaching and learning, transitions to employment, research and innovation, entrepreneurship, climate and environment, agriculture, health, STEM, digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
The International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering was recognized for its practice-based engineering education model. Established by 16 African countries in the Sahel region, the institution has trained more than 13,000 graduates, with 70 percent securing employment within 12 months of graduation and more than 95 percent remaining and working in Africa.
Ghana’s KNUST was awarded for developing research-to-innovation platforms, including the Kumasi Business Incubator, Innovation Centre and Technology Consultancy Centre, which connect academic research with startups, industry solutions and public-sector needs.
Uganda’s Muni University was recognized for its employment-focused programmes supporting refugees and underserved youth. Its Refugee and Host Community Youth Empowerment and Transformation Initiative has enabled up to 70 percent of participants to secure employment within three months of completing the programme.
The University of Rwanda received recognition for strengthening healthcare capacity through the training of more than 26,000 health professionals and community-based programmes reaching nearly 500,000 people through clinical placements, outreach initiatives and university health services.
The Mastercard Foundation said the AHEFT Prize will recognize at least 150 African higher education institutions over the next decade as part of efforts to position universities as drivers of human capital development and economic participation.
“This is the moment to reimagine what higher education institutions can do as engines of human capital development — not only as a place of learning, but as a direct route to work, to economic participation, and to a better future for young people across Africa,” said Dr John Nkengasong, executive director of Higher Education Initiatives at Mastercard Foundation.
The inaugural winners will receive their awards at the Higher Education Transformation Convening scheduled to take place in Accra, Ghana, on September 22, 2026, according to Birr Metrics.