Governance

Learn about the strategic foundation of the Africa Charter and meet the organisations working together to power its progress.

Purpose

The Charter provides direction for research collaborations between Africa and the Global North, cultivating a transformative mode of collaborative research that advances and upholds Africa’s place in the global production of academic knowledge.

Vision

The Charter champions a diverse, just and rich global academic research ecosystem, in which Africa takes its rightful place in the generation of knowledge.

Mission

The Charter will realise its vision through the following four areas of activity:

The creation and promotion of best practice standards for transformative research collaborations with the African continent – by defining core principles and aspirations for equality in research collaborations and joint enquiry, across all aspects of research, from conceptualisation, design and implementation to research foci, objectives, methods and knowledge transfer.
The obtaining of endorsement by key role players for the core principles and aspirations – to change individual mindsets, frameworks and capabilities, as well as social and intellectual norms, resource allocation and policy and regulatory frameworks, globally across all parties involved in research and their representatives, from higher education and research institutions, funders and research bodies to publishers, science policy agencies and governments.
The promotion and growth of the Charter’s transformative agenda – by providing guidance, practical evidence and other resources, driving for change in policy and regulatory frameworks and engaging in intellectual debate and further inquiry with scholarly communities to learn and grow cross-sectoral groups of interest and practice.
The promotion of pan-African intellectual thought and engagement – upholding and advancing the continent’s contribution to academic and scientific knowledge, by disrupting colonial histories of political and economic injustice and promoting a richer, more diverse and more potent research and scholarship to ensure human dignity, now and into the future.

Values

The Charter aligns with the core values of the 2022 UNESCO Framework on Open Science and builds on ongoing efforts to promote equality in research collaborations. These include: the Four Approaches to Supporting Equitable Partnerships Good Practice Document, whose recommendations draw on wide consultation with stakeholders and funders internationally; the Global Code of Conduct for Equitable Research Partnerships (TRUST Code); and the Guide for Global Research Partnerships, as well as more discipline-focused frameworks such as the Principles for Global Health Research and wider movements, including the Knowledge Equity Network.

Structure

Steering Committee

The strategic oversight of the Charter’s vision and major initiatives falls to the Steering Committee. This involves providing high-level guidance to ensure all activities remain aligned with core objectives.

Core Facilitating Team

The daily implementation of the Charter and its programs falls to the Core Facilitating Team. This involves consolidating plans, developing structures and engaging all relevant stakeholders.

Divine Fuh, HUMA – Institute for Humanities in Africa at the University of Cape Town (UCT)
Isabella Aboderin, Perivoli Africa Research Centre (PARC) at the University of Bristol
Puleng Segalo, Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair at UNISA – University of South Africa
Eyob Balcha Gebremariam, Perivoli Africa Research Centre (PARC) at the University of Bristol

Pioneer consultative group

Our deepest gratitude to the stakeholders present at a the first Consultative Meeting in Accra, for their invaluable contributions to the Africa Charter. Their early vision, dedication and generous support were instrumental in bringing this initiative to life.