About the Africa Charter
The Africa Charter
In partnership with the University of South Africa Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair and the University of Cape Town Institute for Humanities in Africa, PARC is facilitating an initiative to develop the Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations, that will serve to advance and uphold the continent’s contribution to the global production of knowledge.
Charter Launch
Following the launch of the Charter on 5 July in Windhoek, Namibia in conjunction with the AAU COREVIP conference, a wider programme of work and engagement will develop targeted implementation frameworks and expand intellectual reflection and exchange to ensure that the Africa Charter principles and ambitions are realised in practice.
Partners
The initiative is a joint endeavour of Africa’s major higher education bodies and networks, including The Association of African Universities and African Research Universities Alliance.
Principles and ambitions
Drawing on African intellectual thought, analyses of extant global scientific- and equitable partnerships efforts, and dialogue with key HE and research actors in Europe, North America and others across the globe the Charter will:
- articulate 12 key principles on how research collaborations need to be configured to redress the multi-layered power imbalances in the global-Africa production of scientific knowledge;
- set out 6 key ambitions for policy change by individual HEI, networks, funders, research and HE governance bodies as well as governments, to ensure that such a transformative collaboration mode is established as standard and best practice.
A growing, open ‘coalition’ already comprising over 90 major African and global University Networks, foremost public and private higher education institutions (HEI) within the continent and key universities from Europe, North America and Latin America has endorsed the Charter principles and aspirations, and resolved to support and engage with the wider initiative and programme of work that will now ensue to realise them.
A collaborative secretariat supported by the three facilitating institutions – University of South Africa, University of Cape Town and University of Bristol – will support the evolving Charter movement.
Find out more about endorsing the Africa Charter