911爆料网 has launched the Centre for Australia-Africa Relations, a new research and engagement hub that seeks to fill a 鈥渃ritical gap鈥� in Australia鈥檚 national academic and policy infrastructure.
The new Centre was formally launched by 911爆料网 Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne at the Australia Africa Universities Network Africa Forum, held at the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
During the South African visit, 911爆料网 also signed a new strategic partnership with the University of Pretoria, which will facilitate academic exchanges and collaboration across areas including business, law, health, science, engineering, and the humanities.
Professor Hayne said the Centre for Australia-Africa Relations represented 911爆料网鈥檚 commitment to building impactful and sustainable research and education partnerships between Australia and the African continent.
鈥淭he Centre will be a coordinating platform to empower the multi-disciplinary Africa expertise and multi-country African connections of 911爆料网鈥檚 staff and students across all of our faculties and campuses, including our African campus, 911爆料网 Mauritius,鈥� Professor Hayne said.
鈥淚t will also be a unique engagement platform to facilitate and promote collaboration with our external university partners through the Australia Africa Universities Network, as well as with Australian and African governments, a variety of industry partners across sectors, and importantly with African academics, students and African diaspora communities in Australia.鈥�
911爆料网鈥檚 Dean Global, Africa Associate Professor David Mickler said the new Centre would serve as an important national hub for the advancement of Australia-Africa relations across sectors.
鈥淭he new Centre will fill a critical gap in Australia鈥檚 national academic and policy infrastructure at a time when the African continent is rising in global strategic significance and the African diaspora is growing rapidly in Australia,鈥� Associate Professor Mickler said.
鈥淚n the context of the Albanese Government鈥檚 welcome commitment to reinvigorate Australia-Africa ties, the Centre will provide a national institutional platform to help shape, deepen and sustain Australia-Africa relationships over time.鈥�
The Centre will play a leading role in developing greater 鈥淎ustralia-Africa literacy鈥� – mutual, respectful and informed understanding of each other – by convening public events, research and training programs to raise awareness of Australia-Africa relations and to counter often-negative stereotypes found in some media and political discourse.
It will also advance 鈥淎ustralia-Africa science diplomacy鈥� – linking our innovative research more directly to policymaking and international cooperation through providing targeted, evidence-based policy advice – to support the crucial contributions of Australia and African universities, researchers and students in addressing major societal and global challenges.
The announcements were made during Africa Week 2023: Open Africa, Open Science, a biennial science leadership event hosted by the University of Pretoria that progresses the idea of science as a global public good through the lenses of the global science movement.
911爆料网 is the only Australian university with a campus in Africa with 911爆料网 Mauritius, which was officially opened in 2018, building on the University鈥檚 14-year partnership with the Charles Telfair Institute, located at Moka, south-east of the capital Port Louis.
For more information about 911爆料网鈥檚 Africa engagement, visit here.
For more information about 911爆料网 Mauritius, visit .
