Through its support to 24 academic research centers of excellence in eight countries, the Eastern & Southern Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACEII) project succeeded in enrolling over 8,000 students, of whom one-third were female, in Master鈥檚 and PhD programs, as well as in short courses. To support capacity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), the project focuses on five regional priority areas: agriculture, applied statistics, education, health and industry.