KIGALI, Rwanda – The Mastercard Foundation has launched the Africa Higher Education for Transformation (AHEFT) Prize, a first-of-its-kind annual award backed by a USD 500 million commitment over the next decade to recognize higher education institutions driving transformational change across Africa.
The inaugural AHEFT Prize honours five universities that have demonstrated sustained, institution-wide transformation while expanding opportunities for young people. Each winning institution will receive USD 3 million to scale initiatives agreed upon with the Foundation to further advance higher education and youth development.
The 2026 AHEFT Prize recipients are Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia), the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE) (Burkina Faso), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana), Muni University (Uganda), and the University of Rwanda (Rwanda).
“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 CEO of the Mastercard Foundation.
2026 AHEFT Prize Laureates
Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia) received the award for Excellence in Research and Innovation in recognition of its ability to align research with national priorities, strengthen workforce development, and connect scientific knowledge directly to economic opportunity, public services, and community wellbeing. The university’s partnership with Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, which serves about 884,000 patients annually, supports large-scale clinical training, research, and healthcare delivery.
The International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE) in Burkina Faso won the Excellence in Teaching and Learning award for its innovative practice-based engineering and technical education. 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 over 95 percent remaining to work in Africa.
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana was recognized for Excellence in Research and Innovation for building one of Africa’s leading research-to-innovation ecosystems. Through platforms such as the Kumasi Business Incubator, Innovation Centre, and Technology Consultancy Centre, the university has transformed research into startups, industry solutions, and public impact.
Uganda’s Muni University received the Transitions to Employment award for creating successful pathways from education to employment for refugees and underserved youth. Through its Refugee and Host Community Youth Empowerment and Transformation Initiative (RETI), the university has enabled up to 70 percent of participants to secure employment within three months of completing the programme.
The University of Rwanda was honoured in the Health category for strengthening the country’s health system by training more than 26,000 health professionals.
Its community-based training model reaches nearly 500,000 people through clinical placements, outreach programmes, and university health services. The university has also emerged as a regional leader in digital health, vaccinology, biomedical engineering, and health systems innovation.
The AHEFT Prize recognizes institutions making transformational contributions in areas including teaching and learning, transitions to employment, research and innovation, entrepreneurship, climate and environment, agriculture and agri-food systems, health, and STEM, including digital technologies and artificial intelligence. Over the next decade, the initiative aims to recognize and support at least 150 higher education institutions across Africa.
“This is the moment to reimagine what higher education institutions can do as engines of human capital development—not only as places of learning, but as direct pathways to employment, economic participation, and a better future for young people across Africa,” said Dr. John Nkengasong, Executive Director of Higher Education Initiatives at the Mastercard Foundation.
The winning institutions will officially receive their awards during the Higher Education Transformation Convening scheduled for September 22, 2026, in Accra, Ghana.
