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Harvard University opened its first cross-disciplinary research center in Sub-Saharan Africa, building a new platform for African and Africanist academic exchange. Working with its companion office on Harvard’s Cambridge campus, the Harvard University Center for African Studies Africa Office will lower barriers to research for African and international scholars across the continent and serve as a resource for the increasing number of Harvard students and faculty members conducting research and traveling to Africa.
The office will also facilitate and strengthen relationships with business, cultural, and academic leaders across the African continent. A key objective for Harvard CAS is to build upon existing connections with universities and other educational institutions by facilitating inter-faculty research and student exchange, both on Harvard’s campus and on the African continent.
As part of the opening of the office, University Provost, Professor Alan M. Garber, the Center for African Studies’ Faculty Director Emmanuel Akyeampong, and Obenewa Amponsah, the recently appointed Africa Office Executive Director, facilitated a roundtable discussion of academic leaders from Harvard and academic institutions from across Africa. Participants convened to discuss mutual areas of research and to develop strategies for educational development. The Center for African Studies also hosted its Second Annual Hakeem and Myma Belo-Osagie Distinguished African Business and Entrepreneurship Lecture, which draws lessons from prominent African leaders.
