The University of Cape Town (UCT), the University of South Africa (Unisa), and the University of Bristol have announced the next phase of the Africa Charter for transformative research collaborations by presenting its implementation framework program at a forum in Cape Town.
The development of this program took place during the Times Higher Education (THE) 2026 World Academic Summit, co-hosted by UCT and Bristol in Cape Town from September 29 to October 1. The summit gathered representatives from higher education, government, business, and civil society.
First Forum of Africa Charter Signatories: The community of action brought together participants and supporters to launch the Charter's framework program and agree on further steps for collective action. Representatives from Bristol noted that the forum's goal was to 'transform the Charter from a broad community of stakeholders into an active global community committed to embedding transformative principles in research collaboration.'
As part of this initiative, UCT, Unisa, and Bristol signed an agreement obligating the institutions to coordinate support for the Charter and promote its international adoption. The Charter was originally launched on July 5, 2023, in Windhoek, Namibia, at the Conference of Rectors, Vice-Chancellors, and Presidents of the African Association of Universities. Its creation resulted from the work of the Peri-Bol Research Centre in Bristol, the Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair at Unisa, and the Institute of Humanities in Africa at UCT.
The Charter aims to address the imbalance of power in global knowledge production and promote fairer international scientific cooperation. According to Bristol, about 140 universities and organizations have joined the Charter. UCT representative Elijah Moholola stated that this partnership will allow to 'correct the unfair imbalance of power in global knowledge production, advance intellectual leadership and scientific research' and 'implement and center the Africa Charter as a transformative tool for international academic, cultural, and educational research collaboration worldwide.'
Separately, UCT and Unisa concluded a bilateral agreement on September 30 to strengthen strategic cooperation in higher education, including teaching, science, research, and innovation.
The Africa Charter Forum was part of the broader THE World Academic Summit, which was held under the theme 'Knowledge, Justice, and the Future: Universities in the Age of Intelligence.' Professor Evelyn Welch, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, expressed delight at co-hosting the summit with the University of Cape Town and the opportunity to gather diverse perspectives from around the world. She emphasized that while the challenges are global, many effective solutions arise from strong local partnerships, shared ambition, and the desire to create long-term societal value.
Among the summit speakers was Lord Marvin Rees, former Mayor of Bristol and Labour Party member, who participated in a panel discussion in Cape Town alongside Cape Town Mayor Jordyn Hill-Lewis, focusing on the role of universities as civic institutions. Rees noted that he looks forward to being in Cape Town to advance understanding and action regarding how cities, universities, civil partners, and industry can work together to overcome upcoming changes.
South Africa's Minister of Higher Education and Training, Bulelani Mbanamele, also participated in the summit program, where discussions were planned on the future of university-government partnerships and the role of higher education in shaping research and innovation ecosystems.