ANU Africa Network

This website was established in 2013 by David Lucas, and renovated and relaunched in 2020 as part of a project to increase awareness of Africa and African studies in the ANU and the ACT, funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Another outcome of that project was a major research report, published in August 2021, African Studies at the Australian National University and in the Australian Capital Territory, analyzing the past, present and future of the study of Africa at the Australian National University and the wider Australian University sector.

The major innovation on this updated website is the creation of the ACT Africa Expert Directory which lists experts on Africa from institutions around the ACT, primarily the ANU. We will continue to curate this list, offering a key resource for media, government and non-government organizations seeking expert facts and opinions on Africa. Individuals can request to be added to the list by contacting the website managers.

Another notable addition is the expanded directory of PhD theses on Africa produced in the territory’s universities, a solid measure of the vitality of the study of Africa in the city of Canberra.

Reviewing these directories, it is revealing to note that the vast majority of research on Africa is produced by disciplinary experts (environmental scientists, economists, demographers, etc.) rather than area studies experts. This means that the study of Africa is woven into the fabric of the research culture of the ANU and the ACT’s other universities in ways that are not necessarily apparent.

On 17 June 2025, Dr Hassan Khannenje, Director of the HORN International Institute of Strategic Studies in Kenya, addressed a group of Africanists at the ANU Law School. He was accompanied by Mr Stuart Smith, First Secretary at the Australian High Commission in Nairobi.

The gathering brought together, among others, people from the ANU African Studies Network, ANU National Security College, and the ANU Law School, including Professor Matthew Neuhaus, Mr Joel Odota, and Dr David Lucas.

Over the course of the one-hour discussion, Dr Khannenje explored the shifting geopolitical landscape of the Indian Ocean, the Indo-Pacific, and Africa. He argued that Africa now sits at the heart of contemporary global geopolitics, driven by the relative decline of Western influence and the rise of powers such as China and Russia (The Rest). According to Dr Khannenje, this shift has provided African nations with greater agency, and offers them new choices and partnerships to advance their development agendas.

Dr Khannenje also emphasized the opportunities for Australia to deepen its engagement with the African continent. He noted that Australia’s lack of colonial baggage could serve as a strategic advantage in building constructive and mutually beneficial relationships across Africa.

With a rapidly growing population projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050 and an abundance of natural resources, Africa is poised to play an increasingly influential role in global affairs. The discussion provided not only valuable insights from Dr Khannenje but also a platform for meaningful exchange of ideas among participants.

But who is Khannenje?

Dr. Hassan Khannenje is the current Director of the HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies, a research and policy think-do tank based in Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Khannenje is an author, consultant, and practitioner specializing in Conflict Analysis and Resolution (mediation, negotiation, and facilitation), Nonviolence, Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs, Peace and Security, and addressing questions of Terrorism and Violent Extremism, especially the complex confluence between religiosity, politics, and conflict. He is also an adjunct professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, and a resource person with Kenya’s Ministries of Interior Coordination and National Government, Defense, and Foreign Affairs. In addition, he is an expert consultant with various local and international media houses including BBC, CGTN, SABC, Al Jazeera, German TV ZDF, and Nation Media on issues of conflict, terrorism, security, and diplomacy.