Following the high-profile launch for the Africa Charter, we have been delighted to see an extraordinary, open ‘coalition’ of major, forward-thinking actors coming together to endorse the Charter principles and aspirations.
Already comprising close to 100 bodies, the group of Charter signatories is as large as it is broad. Besides the African bodies who jointly co-created the Charter, it includes major African and global University Networks, such as the Coimbra Network, the Australia Africa University Network (AAUN) and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). It includes academic associations and organisations such as the IEASA, the ASA-UK, and AREF.
Individual higher education (HEI) players range from the foremost public and private higher education institutions (HEI) within the continent, to key universities from Europe, North America and Latin America. Key UK HEI signatories include the University of Bristol, University of Leeds, Kings College London, and University of Exeter. Additional, express support for the pursuit of the Charter has come from international bodies such as the International Science Council – while several funding agencies have signalled their willingness to engage seriously with the initiative.
This level of support has surpassed our expectations, and underpinned by such broad international support, we are in a good position to take the Africa Charter forward into its next stage of co-creation, ready for mainstream adoption.
If you represent a higher education or research organisation, find out how to endorse the Charter and get involved.