About the project

 GovInn and the European Studies Association of Sub-Saharan Africa (ESA-SSA) in the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and Carleton University, Canada, are pleased to announce that we have been granted funding from the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union for our Jean Monnet Project ‘African Union–EU relations, regional partnerships for actorness in effective global governance’ (AURORA).

Aims

This project seeks to explore ways to increase diversity within the field of European Studies, in particular with regards to the ethnicity, disciplinary focus and geographical location of its participants.

Through a series of events, research collaborations and publications, the project aims to:

Gather scholars from diverse intellectual disciplines, professionals and practitioners to examine regional trade agreements, the African Continental Free Trade Area and Africa’s engagement with the EU in international affairs

Draw lessons and parallels from across Africa and, chiefly, European Political Cooperation, which became a region engaged in global affairs with unified external policy reflected in, among others, the Lisbon Treaty

Consolidate international networks to add value and provide comparative knowledge on free trade areas, especially from the EU.

AURORA prides itself in introducing local students to the African Union, European Union and regionalism and increasing the level of their engagement in African Union, European Union and regionalism issues to ensure continuity into the future.

Project Coordinators

Chris Nshimbi, University of Pretoria; Samuel Oloruntoba, Institute of African Studies (IAS), Carleton University; Hany Besada, Institute of African Studies (IAS), Carleton University; Leon Mwamba Tshimpaka, University of Pretoria

Project partners

University of Pretoria; Carleton University