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ANU Africa Network
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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.
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2025 AFSAAP CONFERENCE POSTPONED
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Africa identified as a Main Source of International Students
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A report commissioned by Universities Australia ‘identifies Africa as a major source of students by 2050.’
Outgoing university lobby chief Catriona Jackson says the sector needs to capitalise on the emerging African market to stay ahead in the global competition for students, while urging greater acknowledgement of education’s diplomatic clout as Australia vies for influence in the Asia-Pacific.
Her comments come as a report commissioned by Universities Australia warns against repeating America’s “mistakes” during its hunt for Chinese academic espionage, calls for education in South-East Asia and the Pacific to be at the forefront of Australia’s soft-power agenda, and identifies Africa as a major source of students by 2050.
Australian National University higher education policy expert Professor Andrew Norton said competition for African students was already emerging, and although he believed it was a good idea for Australia to play a greater role in the market, “I wouldn’t expect it to deliver massive enrolments anytime soon”.
Angus Thompson, 2025. ‘Universities urge to capitalise on growing demand from Africa’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 December, page 3.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/it-won-t-be-china-india-any-more-universities-urged-to-pivot-to-new-student-market-20231221-p5eswp.html
(behind soft paywall)
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African leader wins Young Canberra Citizen of the Year
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The Canberra Times (1/12/24) reports that Vando Celestina Emmy Rabi, who emigrated from South Sudan in 2019, has won the Young Canberra Citizen of the Year award. Ms Rabi lost both her parents at a young age and moved to Australia aged 15 to live with her aunt. She is the executive youth leader at the African Australian Council ACT.