Ubuntu and Sankofa: On Pathways to Strengthen Future Africa as a Pan-African Platform for Scientific Collaboration

Abstract

Future Africa, a semi-autonomous organization within the University of Pretoria in South Africa, aims to transform African science systems and the world through transdisciplinary research excellence to develop African solutions to African problems. After celebrating five years of existence in 2024, the organization initiated an ambitious process of introspection to explore how it can become truly Pan-African. The capstone team responsible for this working paper examined Future Africa’s strategic and operational aspects to provide evidence-informed recommendations to support the emergence of a Pan-African platform for science collaboration. During four site visits to Future Africa, the team employed a mixed methods research approach, emphasizing semi-structured interviews, document and artifact reviews, field notes, and member checking. Five key findings emerged from this project: 1. Pan-Africanism is universally recognized as important but lacks a clear definition among collaborators. 2. Future Africa's ties to the University of Pretoria bring both benefits and challenges to its Pan-African goals. 3. Rapid changes at Future Africa have hindered the development of clear impact metrics. 4. Reliance on non-African funding sources creates complexities for achieving Pan-African ideals. 5. South Africa's visa and work permit policies and location present practical and symbolic obstacles to Pan-African collaboration.