The world is currently grappling with multiple crises, including ecological devastation, an inequitable global financial system, digital colonialism, pandemic exposure, and active military conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and military coups in West and Central Africa. These crises highlight the 21st century as an Age of Global Crises, significantly impacting Africa.
Recent events, such as the resurgence of violent coups in the Sahel region, reveal that the political and militant experiences in former French colonies such as Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger cannot be viewed in isolation from the Russia-Ukraine war. The conflicts in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to escalate, and the exploitative extraction of natural resources underscores Africa’s vulnerabilities. Additionally, many African countries, including Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe, are trapped in a cycle of debt and face barriers to accessing affordable development financing due to a biased Global North financial infrastructure.
Africa faces climate coloniality, with unfair demands for energy transitions and limited support from major contributors to climate change. Despite holding significant natural carbon sequestration resources, Africa does not benefit proportionally from carbon markets.
The science and knowledge generation on these topics are largely controlled by institutions in the Global North. Local scientists in African countries have limited leadership and publishing opportunities, perpetuating global structural inequities. This dominance raises concerns about the credibility and legitimacy of the science informing national policies and local actions. Additionally, global policy discussions, such as those on climate change under the UNFCCC, are largely influenced by “northern” perspectives, impacting countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
In light of these challenges, we invite papers for presentation in various thematic areas of the conference. Abstracts of 300-500 words should be submitted via e-mail to IQIC2024@ufs.ac.za and must align with the conference theme. Thematic areas include: