Targeting universities in Ghana and in sub-Saharan Africa, PADA provides opportunities for the next generation of African academics to build knowledge and skills necessary for the careers as doctoral students, researchers and teachers.

Since 2015, the PADA has run bi-annual doctoral schools for participants from Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Uganda and South Africa. Participation in the doctoral schools are highly subsidized by grants from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

PADA has also rolled out a professional development training for post-doctoral faculty that consists of workshops, seminars, writing clinics, and a mentorship program.

PADA is under the Office of the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic and Student Affairs) of the University of Ghana, the oldest and largest public university in Ghana and one of the top-ranked universities on the African continent. In the past decade, UG has expanded its post-graduate programming and built on its reputation as a research university. With PADA, the university aims to be a hub for enhanced doctoral training in Africa.