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.
PARC is running 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:
- Two brief keynote addresses, respectively, from Prof. Puleng LenkaBula (Vice Chancellor, UNISA) and Prof. Kenneth Matengu (Vice Chancellor, UNAM), reflecting on:
i) the core concern and ambition of the Africa Charter
ii) its meaning and relevance for the continent and international scholarship
iii) 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
- A reflection from an EU Commission representative on the relevance of the Africa Charter for broader EU-AU agendas on research and innovation
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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
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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 .
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