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From 19-21 February 2013, the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) in partnership with the North-West University (NWU) Vaal Triangle Campus will be holding the Seventh Annual AISA Young Graduates and Scholars (AYGS) Conference.

The AYGS conference to be held at the North-West University (NWU) Vaal Triangle Campus is one of the AISA’s capacity-building programmes, which is aimed at providing research skills and experience, as well as the publishing and communication platforms for emerging young African scholars.

This is AISA’s most intensive and far-reaching project within the institute’s capacity-building curriculum. An explicit aim of this programme is to bridge the gap of expertise in knowledge production about African affairs by developing a society of knowledge producers among African youth.

It provides a platform for emerging African scholars to engage and exchange insights in the debates pertaining to the challenges faced by African societies, and in discussions about the way forward for the upliftment of African value systems and the ultimate integration of the African continent.

The conference is the culmination of a year’s preparation which began with a thematic topic being selected with relevance to AISA’s overall research agenda and current issues amongst youth. A Call for Papers was then issued by AISA intended for young and emerging scholars to first submit abstracts. Papers that were selected and reviewed by experts in AISA’s network, will be presented by the authors at the Conference, the best of which will be edited, compiled and published by AISA and made available in academic, government and political circles.

AISA strives to empower people by developing knowledge-generation capacity and as one of the top five think tanks in sub-Saharan Africa, AISA aims to encourage all its researchers and those who engage with it to contribute to the development of a knowledge-based economy in Africa.

The 2013 AYGS conference will be held under the theme, 2050 – Africa’s future on the horizon: Prospects and challenges for development. The conference aims to mobilize young African graduate scholars around the most important challenges the continent is currently facing, including climate change, energy and water supply security, governance, poverty, development, peace and security.

5. AYGS Conference Activities Summary

• Paper Presentations

The first two days of the conference focus on the paper presentations. The presenters will cover topics on Governance and Democracy; Science and Technology; Knowledge Transfer; Peace and Security; as well as Sustainable Development.

All 23 presenters are young scholars from different universities across the African continent including South Africa. These comprise students from the University of Zimbabwe, University of Bamako in Mali, Moi University in Kenya as well as South African universities such as Rhodes University, University of Venda, Wits, UJ, University of Pretoria and North-West University’s three campuses, amongst others.

• Scholarship and Bursary Presentations

These will be presented by Government departments, diplomatic missions and institutions providing scholarships and fellowships to African scholarsship programmes. They will provide information on the application processes for post graduate bursaries and scholarships for African students wishing to study local and abroad.

• African Union (AU) Debate CHALLENGE – 2013

The Model AU Challenge is a simulation of an African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) meeting, where the 15 member countries’ representatives provide their view on African Inter-regional cooperation for energy security in response to climate change.

The difference with this simulation is that it is a debate which will be adjudicated inter alia on the basis of substance; delivery; authenticity and convincing interpretation of the country’s position.

This clearly requires extensive research into the topic, as well as into how the country has responded (or is likely to respond) to the linked challenges of climate change and energy security and the role of African inter-regional cooperation.

• Dinner and Awards Ceremony

The participants will be awarded certificates and trophies. The awards will vary from the certificates of participation, best presentation, best research paper, as well as the winner for the AU Challenge.

AISA is a government-owned science council whose mandate is to produce knowledge aimed at informing sustainable political and socio-economic development in Africa. Its vision is to be an indispensable African voice on African Affairs and our 2011-2015 Research Agenda is Seeking solutions for Africa’s developmental challenges.

5. Institutional Partnerships

Apart from the host, North-West University (NWU), support is provided by a number of South African and African universities through participating scholars.

As it has been the case in previous years, diplomatic missions and institutions providing scholarships and fellowships to African scholars are invited to engage with authors and students from the host university.

The National Research foundation (NRF), the French SafeThink scholarship programme as well as the US Fulbright Programme are amongst the presenters in the scholarship category.