Social sciences and humanities have come under pressure in recent years and faced threats from different spheres that misunderstood the place of the disciplines in the transformation of the continent.

To enhance Africa’s capacity to solve her own challenges, the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) has identified challenges that undermine the growth of teaching and research in the humanities in African universities, to include advancement of policies that undervalue humanities and continued questioning of the relevance of knowledge in the humanities and social sciences and sought to address them.

The Dakar-based social sciences body strives to create the next cadre of African social scientists who can project the African voice in the global knowledge debate.

In his 2019 end year message, the Executive Secretary, Godwin Murunga said CODESRIA through various partnerships such as Carnegie Corporation of New York,  the Newly formed executive fund of the Open Society Foundation, Andrew Mellon Foundation grant and the Ford Foundation which recently joined as a new partner will be committed to a transparent system that ensures resources are directed to programs and will maintain the commitment in the new year.

He further added that CODESRIA will continue to cherish the long-standing partnerships, as well as double their efforts on programme delivery.

“While the Research and Training, Grants and Fellowship Programmes have stabilized and are operating almost optimally, the Council is aware that there is an impending necessity on the Publications and Dissemination Programme and hence both the Executive Committee and Scientific Committee have prioritized this for 2020."

CODESRIA has planned a number of new programmes for 2020 aimed at contributing to quality knowledge production in the humanities in African universities. They include conferences for deans of humanities and social sciences that will help to rebuild scholarly communities through academic seminars, writing and publications workshops and activities targeting doctoral supervisors as agents in the recreation of the culture of academic excellence in teaching and research.

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Article by Jedidah Mwangi

Source;https://www.codesria.org/spip.php?article2995&lang=en