The inception meeting of the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education project, “Transitioning Higher Education Regulators and Universities to Competency-Based Education in East and West Africa (TRUCE),” was successfully held from 8–9 April 2026 in Uganda. The project, which commenced on 1st December 2025, will run until 30th November 2029.
The TRUCE project is being implemented by a consortium of nine institutions across West and East Africa and Europe, including Makerere University (Uganda), the University of Ghana, Legon (Ghana), Mountains of the Moon University (Uganda), the University of Education, Winneba (Ghana), Universitat de Barcelona (Spain), Instituto Politécnico do Porto (Portugal), the National Council for Higher Education (Uganda), the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (Ghana), and the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM).
Bringing together these key partners, the inception meeting provided a platform to develop a shared understanding of Competency-Based Education (CBE) and to outline a strategic roadmap for its implementation in Ghana and Uganda. Central to the discussions was the need to align institutional practices with regulatory frameworks to ensure a smooth and sustainable transition to CBE.
A major outcome of the meeting was the agreement on critical operational structures and processes to guide implementation. These included the establishment of a Project Management Team (PMT) and a Project Advisory Board (PAB), confirmation of local coordinators across partner institutions, and the adoption of clear quality assurance systems, reporting mechanisms, communication protocols, and an annual workplan. These decisions mark a significant milestone in strengthening coordinated action among partner institutions.
The meeting also highlighted the importance of benchmarking existing tools and frameworks. Partners agreed to draw on relevant experiences and guidelines from Ghana, Uganda, Universitat de Barcelona (Spain), and Instituto Politécnico do Porto (Portugal). This approach is expected to foster cross-learning and enhance collaboration between African and European institutions.
The University of Ghana, through its Legon Centre for Education Research and Policy (LECERP) of the College of Education, played a visible and strategic role in the meeting. The team contributed to key discussions on contextualising CBE within the Ghanaian higher education system and emphasised the importance of developing locally relevant yet globally aligned curricula and assessment frameworks.
The University of Ghana was represented by Dr. Clement Adamba, Project Lead and Director of LECERP; Dr. Joyce Anku, Project Coordinator and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Teacher Education; and Mrs. Sylvia Antwiwaah Sarbah, Research Development Officer from the College of Education Grants Management and Research Support Unit.
With these foundational structures and shared commitments in place, the consortium is well positioned to commence full implementation of the TRUCE project, with the University of Ghana playing a key role in advancing competence-based higher education reform in the region.