Stellenbosch University signs partnership with CCA
When Elema gives presentations about the work of the CCA, one of the first images he shares is a map depicting the true size of Africa, not the distorted Mercator map. On this map, the continent engulfs the maps of the United States, China, India, and most of Europe. The skewed perception about the true size of Africa is one of many erroneous assumptions Elema has encountered over the years.
When he speaks about the continent, it’s from personal experience. Elema has visited more than 30 other African countries in his career, and he’s been instrumental in facilitating many partnerships between SU academics and their counterparts across the continent.
Elema’s own academic interests centre on the impact, or benefit, of research. He completed an MBA at SU and later obtained a PhD in Science and Technology Studies. He worked at SU’s Water Institute before coming on board when the CCA was established in 2016 at SU International. His extensive experience in managing research networks and partnerships in Africa was a big plus to the CCA.
“I’m quite passionate about the continent. If I were 15 years younger and an academic, I would focus on establishing strategic partnerships with other African countries. It takes time to cultivate good relationships, but once you’ve made the connections, there is so much potential and opportunities on our continent,” Elema says.
He also stresses the importance of understanding the context of the countries you visit. “You must get into people’s spaces and understand the institutional cultures and unique ecosystems that impact their work. In Africa, the history of slavery and colonialism still informs current dynamics. But I also often remind people that Africa is not one country. There is massive diversity on the continent.”
It’s often surprising to discover how well-known SU is on the continent, Elema remarks. “At many other African universities, people know that Stellenbosch is ranked as one of the top five universities on the continent and they are often eager to work with us. When I’m asked about SU’s success, I am often reminded by the words of our Rector that we should strive for local impact, be regionally relevant and be globally competitive.”
One of the CCA’s flagship initiatives is the Africa Collaboration Grant, which is associated with the bilateral partners and creates mobility opportunities for SU staff, postdoctoral fellows and post-graduate students with other partners on the African continent. “We always receive a lot of interest in the grant. It’s a very competitive grant, and we’re fortunate that SU has made the institutional commitment to support the mobility of academics across the continent.”
SU staff and students often come back from visits to African universities with fresh perspectives and inspiration, Elema says. “I love it when students return from places such as Lagos or Kampala and tell me the experience changed their lives.”
The CCA’s work is very focused on aligning the work they do with United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals as well as the African Union’s Agenda 2063. The SDG/2063 Impact Hub is located at the CCA within SU International and aims to highlight the contribution SU makes to the SDG/2063 Agendas. “Part of the opportunity is to find partners around the SDG/2063 Agendas so we can work together on topics which will also lead to the coordinated collection of data, measurement of impact and consolidate resources.”
Collaboration between experts in disciplines such as data science, computational thinking, and climate studies will be crucial for dealing with future challenges. “The effect of climate change on Africa will be devastating if we don’t plan and become more sustainable. In future, climate change could lead to, amongst others, mass urbanisation and we could see even more mega-cities in Africa like Lagos with its estimated 22 million people. What does this mean for food security? What will it mean for transport, health, logistics and disaster risk management? The CCA can play a crucial role to facilitate cross-disciplinary knowledge exchange on such topics, through thematic research networks where we host the secretariats of PERIPERI-U, which focus on Disaster Risk Reduction, and the AUDA-NEPAD Networks of Water Centres of Excellence. Through these networks, we partner with our global partners and have access to 32 other African universities to address challenges related to Climate Change Adaptation.”
Elema says he’s lucky to work with an incredible team at CCA who shares his enthusiasm. One of their goals for 2023 is to expand student exchange opportunities with partner institutions to allow SU students to complete semester courses at African universities and vice versa. “Just imagine how exciting it would be for SU students to go study in Kenya, Ghana, or Egypt for a few months. Students are able to create amazing opportunities, they’re open-minded and come back with lasting experiences and friendships. The possibilities really are endless.”