The laureates were honoured on 22 September 2026 at the Higher Education Transformation Convening in Accra, Ghana, where each received USD 3 million to scale transformative work, through initiatives agreed with each institution. The new annual award from the Mastercard Foundation is backed by a $500 million commitment to spotlight higher education institutions driving sustained, systemic transformation and expanding opportunities for African youth

Addis Ababa University (AAU) and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) were each honoured in the Excellence in Research and Innovation category while the  University of Rwanda (UR) was awarded in the Excellence in health category. AAU was  recognised for its outstanding ability to align research with national priorities, strengthen workforce development, and connect scientific knowledge directly to economic opportunity, public services, and community wellbeing through the Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital. KNUST was acknowledged for building one of Africa’s leading research-to-innovation ecosystems including Kumasi Business Incubator, Innovation Centre, and Technology Consultancy Centre. UR was Celebrated for evolving into a regional leader in digital health, vaccinology, biomedical engineering, and health systems innovation. These three institutions—alongside fellow inaugural laureates 2iE in Burkina Faso and Muni University in Uganda—represent the first cohort of a multi-decade initiative designed to award at least 150 institutions across Africa.

Congratulations, once again, to Addis Ababa University, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and the University of Rwanda. You have made ARUA proud.

Click Here to learn more about the Prize.