PRETORIA – Africa Week 2025 opened at the University of Pretoria (UP) on Africa Day, 25 May, with a call for bold, cross-sectoral collaboration to reimagine the continent’s future. The biennial summit, hosted at Future Africa, UP’s pan-African platform for collaborative research, brings together African and global science leaders for high-level dialogue and collaboration aimed at strengthening African research, enhancing its global visibility and amplifying its influence, particularly through the role of higher education institutions.

Framed by the theme ‘Global Security, Global Africa’, the summit aims to explore the visible and invisible dimensions of security and how they manifest across all levels of society. This year's programme will explore issues ranging from climate resilience to economic self-determination and the transformative potential of scientific cooperation.

“Throughout the week we will engage in critical conversations that transcend disciplines, regions and sectors… Because the challenges we face are shared, and what brings us together is far greater than what divides us,” said Programme Director Professor Wanda Markotter, who is also the Interim Director of Future Africa, in her opening remarks. 

Setting the tone for the week’s deliberations, His Excellency Salih Omar Abdu, Ambassador of the State of Eritrea to South Africa and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, described Africa Week as “a moment to reflect on our shared past, assess the challenges of our present, and collectively reimagine the future of dignity, resilience and unity.” 

He welcomed the summit’s framing of global security not in terms of weapons and warfare, but as a “far more complex and layered construct” shaped by climate change, knowledge integrity and economic stability. 

Africa, he said, must assert its place in these conversations. “Africa must safeguard its intellectual sovereignty, ensuring that truth and evidence-based research guide our policies and innovations.” With research threatened by disinformation and cyber intrusion, he called for vigilance and African-led knowledge production to protect both scientific and traditional wisdom. 

The Ambassador also highlighted the importance of economic sovereignty. “Africa’s economic liberation demands bold structural reforms, equitable trade, and investment in self-sustaining systems.” He argued that the Fourth Industrial Revolution offered the continent a new opportunity to unlock value from its vast resources and resolve persistent challenges such as poverty, inequality and unemployment.

Ambassador Abdu also reminded delegates that the African Union (AU) has declared 2025 as the ‘Year of Reparations’, saying this declaration is both urgent and transformational. “Reparatory justice is not merely a moral imperative. It is a catalyst for healing, restoration and the reclamation of Africa’s stolen dignity… This call is rooted in the unfinished struggle for our foremothers and forefathers from the looted wealth of colonisation to the scars of slavery, apartheid and systems of racial exploitation.”

Strategy, science and solidarity

Anneline Morgan, Chief Director for Overseas Bilateral Cooperation at the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, representing the South African government, spoke of the country’s commitment to advancing Africa’s development through investment in science, technology and innovation. She pointed to Africa’s agricultural potential as a key opportunity, saying, “Africa possesses a vast amount of agricultural land and it is important that we work together to address food security [and] ensure sustainable livelihoods by investing in agricultural systems, innovations and technologies.”

Morgan also highlighted the AU’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA) 2034, which was recently adopted by African heads of state. “STISA 2034 underscores the essential roles of human capital development and digital infrastructure,” she said, adding that building skills in areas such as artificial intelligence and renewable energy would be essential to Africa’s position as a global player in innovation. 

With South Africa preparing to host the G20 Summit later this year, Morgan reaffirmed the country’s intention to use its G20 presidency to advocate for Africa and the Global South. “By championing key priority areas of our presidency, which are solidarity, equality and sustainability, we affirm our commitment to multilateralism and South-South cooperation,” she said. 

Dr Sepo Hachigonta, Acting Executive Director: Strategic Partnerships, Network and Resourcing at the National Research Foundation (NRF), offered a candid perspective on the continent’s science funding landscape. He described science, technology and innovation as “low-hanging fruits that we can leverage”, but cautioned that underinvestment and limited private-sector participation were undermining the sector’s impact. 

“In sub-Saharan Africa, we have about 18 public science funders,” he said, “but we often find ourselves in the middle, balancing government demands for accountability with the research community’s need for time and space.” 

He argued that science councils were no longer just research grant funders. “We are evolving into innovation players within the ecosystem… contributing to policy, driving partnerships, and co-creating instruments for change.” 

Dr Hachigonta also highlighted how councils like the NRF are using science diplomacy and international partnerships to create opportunities for collaboration and mobility. 

Institutions driving continental transformation 

Myranda Lutempo, Senior Policy Officer for the AU Southern Africa Regional Office, reflected on the continent’s resilience and rising influence. “Our intellectual, scientific, and cultural capital continues to grow and inspire. Economically, Africa is now home to more than half of the world’s fastest-growing economies, some of which include Niger, Senegal, Libya, Rwanda – with some expected to grow at rates exceeding 7% per annum.

Despite conflict- and climate-induced disasters in countries such as Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, Africa continues to pursue peace, innovation and integration, she said. 

Lutempo welcomed the summit’s focus on reparatory justice and unity and described the AU’s Agenda 2063 as a shared blueprint for transformation. “Let us continue to work towards inclusive and shared prosperity, underpinned by peace, integration and unity,” she said. 

In his welcome address to Africa Week’s local and international delegates, Professor Francis Petersen, UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal, examined the role of universities in shaping Africa’s future. “From the vantage point of a university, or the higher education sector, knowledge is the single most powerful force for understanding life – but also, importantly, for changing it.” 

He emphasised that higher education institutions are uniquely positioned to contribute to solutions for the continent’s most urgent challenges, and highlighted that the continent is not only endowed with rich natural resources, but with people, culture, biodiversity and environments that can fuel a thriving knowledge economy.

As he officially declared Africa Week 2025 open, Prof Petersen invoked the spirit of Ubuntu, saying, “Let us unite as, together, we find meaningful solutions to help our continent thrive into the future.”