Conference on Academic Freedom in Africa For Academic Staff Associations 2025 Read here!

SAR's Free to Think 2024 report detailing attacks on academic freedom from around the world is out now. Read here!

The 2025 Academic Freedom Index, which assesses de facto levels of academic freedom around the world, has been released! Read the report here

ABOUT US

The chequered history and perilous state of academic freedom in Africa today is dictated to by the coloniality of its higher education landscape, which is dominated by factors such as massification, high lecturer-student ratios, poor remuneration for lecturers, undue interference by the state in the affairs of the university, and poor allocation of resources for research. These factors have affected the ability of the Africa university to realize its raison d’être, that is, the production, dissemination, and application of knowledge, which are located within the ecosystem for the exercise of academic freedom.

Thus, although many African States have now given recognition to academic freedom in their post-Cold War constitutions, this development has not translated substantively into improving the culture of respect for academic freedom in Africa. Moreover, academic freedom remains an abstract concept, even among the academic community and more so in the larger society. Its purpose, relevance, mode of application, and means of making claims and seeking redress, among others, remain a mystery to many. Identifying the history, the actors, the factors, the context, and the nuances informing the academic freedom matrix in Africa is critical to identifying the root causes of the problem.

That is where Africa Coalition for Academic Freedom (ACAF) comes in!

ACAF is an initiative aimed at championing academic freedom concerns across the African continent. It is supported by Scholars at Risk Network (SAR), one of the leading advocates for academic freedom across the globe, and is hosted by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), based in Accra, Ghana.

The coalition seeks to address the challenges that prevent African universities and other intellectual establishments from fulfilling their core purposes, that is, the production, dissemination, and application of knowledge to promote democracy, human rights, and sustainable development on the continent. By building a collaborative network of academics, higher education institutions, student unions,civil society organizations, and partner institutions, ACAF seeks to empower individuals and institutions to uphold and defend the core principles of academic freedom and intellectual autonomy.

  1.  Advance Research on and Promote a Culture of Respect for Academic Freedom: Identify major obstacles and challenges in unexplored areas affecting academic freedom in Africa, generate high-quality, evidence-based research on the state of academic freedom in Africa and seek to fill the gap.
  2. Develop the Africa Principles on Academic Freedom: Develop a set of academic freedom principles that reflect the African experience and contemporary issues influencing the subject and higher education on the continent. Two, promote the adoption of frameworks and policies supporting academic freedom in Africa.
  3. Monitor and Protect Academic Freedom in Africa: Develop robust monitoring mechanisms and identify other indicators unique to the African context to track violations of academic freedom in Africa.
  4. Provide Support for At-Risk Scholars: Design and provide rescue and post-rescue packages and sanctuary for at-risk scholars (including students) within African HEIs to engage in research, teaching, learning, and related academic activities. Two, pay special attention to designing special mechanisms that pay attention to defending the academic freedom of female scholars and scholars from marginalized and minority communities. 
  5. Advocacy for Academic Freedom: Relying on monitoring and documentation of violations, develop innovative and practical advocacy tools to address academic freedom violations effectively in Africa; and, to ensure awareness of academic freedom’s societal relevance through public education and campaigns.
  6. Develop and Build Strong Networks and Partnerships: Grow individual membership (made up of experts, activists, and defenders of academic freedom) and institutional partnerships (in academia, civil society (local and international), and governmental and intergovernmental set-ups), based on broad geographic representation to defend academic freedom in Africa.

Vision

To be a leading regional defender of academic freedom in Africa, fostering a culture of respect for academic freedom and serving as a catalyst for human rights, democracy, and sustainable development on the continent.

Mission

Collaborate with members, partners, and relevant stakeholders to formulate academic freedom principles that speak to the African experience; develop appropriate advocacy strategies and interventions; and build supportive political constituencies outside the confines of the university to promote academic freedom.

Core Values

The following core values underpin the vision and mission of ACAF, guide its actions, and shape its culture as a defender of academic freedom in Africa.

Integrity

ACAF commits to upholding the highest standards of honesty, fairness, independence and ethical conduct to ensure that ACAF remains a credible and trustworthy organisation.

Innovation

ACAF believes in achieving its vision through the application of novel and useful models and strategies to drive the delivery of services to its partners, members, and clients across the continent and beyond.

Networking and Collaboration

ACAF commits to building strong partnerships with the academic community, civil society organisations and international networks within Africa and beyond to ensure respect for, protection and promotion of academic freedom.

Solidarity, Diversity and Inclusion

ACAF approaches its work from an inclusive and non-discriminatory perspective by seeking to embrace diversity and seeking the welfare of all its constituents, irrespective of race, colour, ethnicity, nationality, language, social origin, disability, sex, political, religious or other affiliation, property, birth or other status.

Sustainability

ACAF seeks to design creative ways to deliver on its core mandate over the long term while minimising risks and without compromising its other core values and project quality.

Contact Us

Get in Touch

Email Address

info@acafafrica.org

Call Us

+233545592375

Address

CDD- Ghana No. 95 Nortei Ababio Loop North Airport Residential Area

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