A roadmap to transformative research partnerships: AAU GenCon
21 July - 23 July
The forthcoming 16th AAU general conference, 21-25 July in Rabat, marks two years since the launch of the Africa Charter at the Conference of Rectors, Vice Chancellors and Presidents of African Universities (COREVIP) 2023 in Windhoek.
On behalf of the Steering Group for the Africa Charter, the tripartite facilitating group comprising the UNISA Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair, the Institute for Humanities in Africa at the University of Cape Town and the Perivoli Africa Research Centre, University of Bristol, is hosting three events at this conference. Please join us to learn more about, and shape the development of, the Africa Charter.
Plenary session, 21 July
Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations: journey so far and heightened relevance today
This one-hour session will encompass:
- Four brief keynote addresses, respectively, from Prof. Puleng LenkaBula (Vice Chancellor, UNISA), Prof. Kenneth Matengu (Vice Chancellor, UNAM), Prof. Shose Kessi (Dean Faculty of Humanities, UCT) and Prof. Olusola Oyewole (Secretary General, AAU) reflecting on:
- the core concern and ambition of the Africa Charter
- its meaning and relevance for the continent and international scholarship
- its heightened importance within the present global context.
- A presentation by the tripartite Charter facilitating group on key developments and achievements in advancing the Africa Charter since COREVIP 2023. Learn about future perspectives for the initiative, plus concrete plans and opportunities going forward, including the launch of a dedicated, independent Africa Charter web-portal
Side session, 22 July
Being a charter signatory: what it means and roadmap of actions
This 90 minute participatory session will consider concrete guidance on ‘what it means to be a Charter signatory’ and on a roadmap of recommended steps and actions to be pursued by signatory institutions to a transformative mode of research collaborations within their respective organisational contexts; and to contribute to the evolving global community of action on the Africa Charter
Side Session, 23 July
Connecting the Africa Charter to wider continental agendas
This one-hour session will provide an opportunity for a preliminary consultation with actors from the AU, AUDA-NEPAD and other key bodies to further explore the relevance of, and ways to connect the Africa Charter to, wider continental agendas; and identify potential avenues for further engagement on the issue .