The Mastercard Foundation has launched the Africa Higher Education for Transformation (AHEFT) Prize, a new initiative backed by a $500 million commitment over the next decade to recognize African universities driving institutional transformation and expanding opportunities for young people across the continent.
The annual prize aims to celebrate higher education institutions delivering measurable impact in areas including teaching and learning, research, entrepreneurship, STEM, climate, agriculture, health, and pathways to employment. Through the initiative, the Foundation plans to recognize at least 150 African universities over the next ten years, positioning higher education as a catalyst for workforce development and economic transformation.
The inaugural edition has named five universities as the first AHEFT Prize laureates. Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana were recognized for Excellence in Research and Innovation, while the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE) in Burkina Faso received the award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Muni University in Uganda was recognised for Transitions to Employment, while the University of Rwanda received the Excellence in Health award. Each institution will receive $3 million to expand programmes that improve education and employment outcomes.
According to the Mastercard Foundation, the initiative builds on two decades of supporting higher education across Africa and is intended to strengthen universities as engines of innovation, skills development and inclusive economic growth. The Foundation said the prize will help accelerate homegrown solutions that empower young people and prepare them for future opportunities.
The inaugural winners will be officially honoured during the Higher Education Transformation Convening in Accra, Ghana, on September 22, 2026, marking the beginning of a decade-long programme designed to elevate excellence and transformation across Africa’s higher education sector.
