Africa’s limited control over its own research priorities, publishing platforms, and funding streams has left the continent vulnerable to external influence and intellectual exploitation. 

To address this imbalance, African universities must step into a leadership role – setting their own research agendas, challenging harmful narratives imposed from outside, and affirming the value of indigenous knowledge systems. 

This is one of the key insights from the 16th Quadrennial General Conference of the Association of African Universities (AAU) that was held from 21-25 July in Rabat, Morocco. The event brought together vice-chancellors, university presidents, researchers, policymakers, and other development partners from across the continent. 

There was broad consensus at the conference that African institutions’ scientific relationships beyond the continent should not be centred on funding, and that cooperative construction, validation, and the impact of African knowledge systems should be emphasised. 

Research charter 

Despite colonial legacies, there has always been value in cross-cultural scientific collaboration, but it must be equitable, jointly developed, and centred on Africa’s priorities, regardless of who funds the research. 

A key focus of the discussion was the Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations, introduced during the 2023 Conference of Rectors, Vice-Chancellors and Presidents of African Universities, or COREVIP, in Windhoek, Namibia. 

The charter seeks to strengthen Africa’s role in global scientific knowledge production by promoting equitable research partnerships between Africa and the Global North. It calls for a fundamental rebalancing of the international research ecosystem and encourages transformative collaborations that recognise and support Africa’s priorities, perspectives, and contributions. 

The charter was co-developed by leading African higher education institutions and networks, including the University of South Africa Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT’s) Institute for Humanities in Africa (HUMA), the AAU, the African Research Universities Alliance, or ARUA, the African Academy of Sciences, the International Network for Higher Education in Africa, and the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, or CODESRIA. 

Original article written by Clemence Manyukwe and published in University World News.