The University of South Africa (Unisa), the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of Bristol have formalised a partnership aimed at addressing longstanding inequalities in global research collaboration and strengthening Africa's influence over how knowledge is produced, funded and shared.

The tripartite agreement, signed on 30 September 2026, marks a significant step towards translating the principles of the Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations into institutional action.

Through the partnership, the three universities have committed to advancing transformative, reciprocal and inclusive research relationships that recognise African scholars as equal intellectual partners.

On the same day, Unisa and UCT signed a separate bilateral agreement aimed at strengthening cooperation in higher education, training, science, research and innovation.

The agreements reflect a broader commitment to challenging historical power imbalances that have often limited African institutions' influence over research priorities, funding decisions and the ownership and dissemination of knowledge produced on the continent.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, Unisa Principal and Vice-Chancellor Prof Puleng LenkaBula described the partnership as a major milestone in efforts to establish more transformative international research relationships.

She emphasised that the Africa Charter calls for a fundamental shift in how research partnerships involving African institutions are conceived, implemented and evaluated.

The initiative seeks to move beyond conventional models of collaboration towards arrangements that recognise African scholars as equal intellectual partners who contribute to shaping research priorities, methodologies and outcomes.

LenkaBula congratulated Prof Puleng Segalo of Unisa, Prof Divine Fuh of UCT and Prof Isabella Aboderin of the University of Bristol for initiating the collaboration.

She described their contribution as a global gift and an important resource for developing progressive research partnerships that recognise Africa's intellectual contribution.

The partnership reinforces Unisa's commitment to African-centred knowledge production and research that responds to societal challenges, while strengthening cooperation between African and international universities.

Following the signing of the memoranda of understanding (MOUs), signatories and partners of the Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations gathered on 1 October 2026 for the official launch of the Africa Charter Forum.

Held under the theme "Towards a Community of Action", the forum brought together representatives of universities, research institutions, scholarly networks and other stakeholders committed to transforming international research partnerships.

A major development was the introduction of a proposed Implementation Framework designed to help institutions translate the Charter's commitments into practical measures.

While the Charter provides a shared vision for transforming research collaboration, the framework seeks to establish clearer expectations and processes for institutions that have endorsed its principles.

It includes a declaration outlining the responsibilities associated with becoming a Charter signatory, a roadmap for implementing its aspirations and principles, and mechanisms for sharing information, documenting progress and encouraging institutional learning.

The framework is intended to support changes in how universities and research organisations develop partnerships, allocate responsibilities, establish research priorities and evaluate the outcomes of collaborative projects.

Participants also examined how the Charter's principles could influence institutional policies, research funding arrangements, academic guidelines and professional standards.

Prof Thokozani Majozi (UCT Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation), Prof Puleng LenkaBula (Unisa Vice-Chancellor), Prof Evelyn Welch (University of Bristol Vice-Chancellor) and James Alexandroff (Founder of the Perivoli Foundation)

Discussions emphasised that meaningful transformation requires more than formal agreements. Institutions must examine established practices and create systems that promote accountability, shared intellectual ownership and greater participation by African researchers.

Through plenary discussions, interactive sessions and networking opportunities, delegates exchanged experiences and explored ways to strengthen cooperation at institutional, national and international levels.

The forum also considered how changing geopolitical conditions and developments in global higher education could influence future research partnerships.

Prof Puleng Segalo, who holds Unisa's Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair and is one of the Charter's initiators, traced the origins of the initiative and explained its broader significance.

The Africa Charter was launched on 5 July 2023 in Windhoek, Namibia, during the Association of African Universities' Conference of Rectors, Vice-Chancellors and Presidents.

It emerged through collaboration involving the Perivoli Africa Research Centre at the University of Bristol, the Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair at Unisa and UCT's Institute for the Humanities in Africa.

The Charter was developed in response to longstanding inequalities in international research partnerships, particularly those involving African institutions and researchers.

These inequalities include the concentration of research funding and decision-making authority outside Africa, unequal access to resources and limited recognition of African intellectual contributions.

The Charter seeks to address these challenges by promoting research relationships built on mutual respect, shared responsibility and equitable participation.

According to Segalo, its 10 principles and six aspirations are intended to influence not only individual research projects but also the institutional systems that determine how knowledge is produced, funded, recognised and shared.

This includes encouraging changes to university policies, funding models, research guidelines and standards across the higher education sector.

The initiative also seeks to strengthen Africa's ability to define research priorities that reflect the continent's developmental needs, intellectual traditions and diverse knowledge systems.

Prof Mpho Ngoepe (Unisa Vice-Principal), Prof Puleng LenkaBula (Unisa Vice-Chancellor), Prof Mosa Moshabela (UCT Vice-Chancellor) and Prof Thokozani Majozi (UCT Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation)

Another important development announced at the forum was the establishment of an independent digital presence for the Africa Charter.

The dedicated website is intended to serve as a central platform where signatories, researchers and partner institutions can access information, document initiatives, exchange experiences and strengthen collaboration.

It will also support networking and mutual learning among institutions seeking to implement the Charter's principles.

The development forms part of broader plans to establish the Africa Charter as an independent global common, stewarded from the African continent.

Such an arrangement is intended to support the Charter's long-term development while maintaining African intellectual leadership and ownership of its transformative agenda.

By creating mechanisms for continued engagement, the initiative seeks to move beyond occasional gatherings towards a sustained international community committed to reforming research practices.

The Africa Charter's objectives resonate particularly with Unisa's Catalytic Niche Area of Feminist/Womanist/Bosadi Theorisations, which examines established power structures, inequality and the marginalisation of historically excluded perspectives.

Although the Charter addresses inequalities in global knowledge production more broadly, both approaches recognise the importance of questioning dominant systems and creating space for voices and knowledge traditions that have historically been marginalised.

The Charter's focus on intellectual justice and inclusive knowledge production also reflects the work of Unisa's Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair, which engages with questions of social justice, transformation and African-centred scholarship.

The partnership supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, which promotes inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities.

It also advances SDG 10, which seeks to reduce inequalities, and SDG 17, which emphasises partnerships for sustainable development.

For African universities, these objectives extend beyond international academic recognition.

Greater influence over research agendas and stronger institutional partnerships can help ensure that scholarship produced on the continent responds to local priorities while contributing to international academic debates.

They can also create opportunities for African researchers to participate more meaningfully in decisions about research design, resource allocation, publication and the application of research findings.

The Cape Town gathering marked an important transition in the development of the Africa Charter, shifting the focus from building awareness and securing support towards implementing its principles.

However, the success of the initiative will ultimately depend on whether universities, research organisations and funding institutions translate these commitments into measurable changes in their policies and everyday practices.

For Unisa, the partnership strengthens its role in advancing African intellectual leadership and contributing to international efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable research environment.

It also demonstrates how collaboration between African and international universities can be structured around shared responsibility rather than unequal relationships.

As the Africa Charter enters its next phase, its central message remains that Africa must be recognised not merely as a location where international research takes place, but as an intellectual force capable of shaping the questions, methods and knowledge that inform global scholarship.

Through the formalised partnership, Unisa, UCT and the University of Bristol are helping to advance a vision of international research collaboration in which African knowledge, leadership and intellectual contributions are recognised as essential to the future of global scholarship.

*By Nnana Martina Jege, College of Human Sciences: Communications and Marketing