My Vision for Future Africa
The University of Pretoria has invested substantially in the development of the Future Africa Institute to respond to the needs for intensification of transdisciplinary science leadership in Africa. This initiative will place the University at the forefront of research development for sustainable development on the continent. The People, Health and Place Chair is one of five research chairs to be appointed to drive these priorities forward. It will represent Future Africa through several activities related to research excellence, representation in national and international arenas, engagements in institutional collaborations, policy interactions, strategic planning and evaluation of the relevance of our research activities and communication. The focus is to create a platform and foster transdisciplinary research focused on a One Health approach. An essential distinction of this Chair vs existing initiatives is that it is not linked to a specific faculty or a specific research programme. It is focused on an all-inclusive University of Pretoria at Future Africa strategic approach to enhance our overall profile in One Health through trans disciplinary research. This will strengthen direction, communication and increase opportunities within and beyond the institution, focusing on Africa. There is already a significant One Health focus associated with outputs in the UP community. The Chair's purpose is not to change any of this but to raise the profile of the initiatives, bring it together, learn from each other and strategically communicate and plan the way forward, including external stakeholders.