Pathways to Peace in Africa: Economic Sovereignty and
Geopolitical Transformation

This year’s Vice Chancellors’ Dialogue focuses on transitioning African universities from passive knowledge consumers to active producers to drive peace and economic sovereignty. Achieving this “epistemic sovereignty” requires prioritizing locally defined research, creating regional validation standards, and building co-generative industry partnerships rather than relying on imported frameworks. Ultimately, the dialogue aims to establish equitable baseline terms for international collaborations—specifically regarding data and AI—alongside actionable strategies and a clear implementation mechanism.