The Africa Charter

The Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations (Africa Charter) is a new initiative co-created by Africa’s key higher education and science constituencies. It draws on a rich history of pan-African thought and advances the continent’s contribution to knowledge; it drives change through action, knowledge exchange and continuous learning.

The Africa Charter is a blueprint for a transformative mode of research collaborations between Africa and the Global North across the natural and social sciences, the arts, and the humanities.

To establish this transformative mode as standard and best practice and actively redress multi-layered power imbalances, it encompasses:

• Ten core principles for research collaborations.
• Six policy aspirations for systemic policy and regulatory change.

Working hand in hand with signatories and stakeholders, the Africa Charter is committed to developing targeted implementation frameworks and guidance resources, fostering intellectual debate and inquiry, and nurturing thriving communities of interest and practice.

Objectives

Four core objectives drive the Africa Charter:

1. Expand research collaborations between Africa and the Global North.
2. Ensure fairness and equity in these partnerships.
3. Rebalance the global research ecosystem to be more inclusive.
4. Amplify the transformative potential of research collaborations.

By addressing these points, the Africa Charter empowers Africa to take its rightful place in shaping diverse and rich global knowledge across all academic fields.

Reach: Principles and aspirations

The Africa Charter provides a roadmap to guide research collaborations between Africa and the Global North, catalyse change and rebalance the global production of scientific knowledge across multiple layers, including:

• Epistemology
• Language
• Theory and concepts
• Development frameworks
• Institutional resourcing
• Practical research arrangements

The Africa Charter outlines aspirations for policy and regulatory changes, calling on all actors within the global research ecosystem to drive reform, including:

• Higher education and research institutions
• Higher education and research networks and alliances
• Research funders
• Assessment bodies
• Governments
• International science bodies
• Science publishers

Ongoing work

The Africa Charter is supported by a wider program of ongoing work and engagement. Driven by exchange, cooperation and focused stakeholder consultation, the Africa Charter communities will develop targeted implementation frameworks, share good practice models and strengthen capabilities. These processes are facilitated by dedicated platforms and structures.