The Africa Institute was established to promote and facilitate the research being done by researchers at Western in Africa.  We strive to be recognized as a world-class Institute of excellence in scholarship and policy development dealing with various aspects of African society, politics, economy, culture, and health through collaborative, interdisciplinary and international research undertaken collaboratively by faculty, undergraduate, graduate, and professional students and postdoctoral fellows.

About the Institute

The University of Western Ontario is home to nearly 100 faculty researchers and nearly 100 graduate and post-doctoral researchers whose primary focus is Africa, in diverse fields including waste management, ecosystem health, health policy, gender studies, linguistics, refugee studies, and transitional justice, to name only a few.  And Western’s staff, faculty, and students have a strong history of involvement with the African continent, through volunteer programmes including Western Heads East and academic exchange programmes for faculty and students.  Out of this on-going association has developed a deep commitment at The University of Western Ontario to building sustainable relationships with Africans and African institutions, and a growing engagement with the most important issues affecting the continent.  Strong and productive working relationships have also been established with senior representatives of government, associations, and agencies in Africa, as well as agencies within the Canadian government and diplomatic representatives from several African nations.   The Africa Institute, based at The University of Western Ontario, is an inter-disciplinary institute dedicated to the critical essence of Africa: its people, its land, and its experience.  The Institute is a space for dialogue and research between, with, and for Africans. We are determined to collaborate constructively with the academic community, with independent institutions, and with governments and agencies working in diverse sectors throughout the African continent to create a pre-eminent institute of its kind in the world.The Africa Institute brings together award-winning, internationally-recognized research and the talented individuals and organizations who are working to reinforce the tremendous initiatives already underway in countries across Africa.  There is strength in numbers: by coming together from across The University of Western Ontario community, we are able to multiply our synergies to produce even more consequential developments; and by working hand-in-hand with our African partners, we are able to undergird the important work they do.  The Institute will also serve as a vehicle for pursuing funding opportunities not only in Canada, but around the world, and is expected to attract the participation of leading members of the African community both within and outside the African continent.

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