Rwanda's university just won Africa's new $3 million prize

The University of Rwanda is among the five inaugural winners of the Africa Higher Education for Transformation Prize — a $3 million award announced in Accra at a convening hosted by the Mastercard Foundation. The prize rewards universities that are genuinely transforming how they train students and turn research into practical help for communities; Rwanda was singled out for work on its health workforce. The other 2026 laureates: Addis Ababa University, the 2iE institute in Burkina Faso, KNUST in Ghana, and Muni University in Uganda.