Curtin in Africa

Curtin Mauritius is the only Australian university campus located in Africa. The campus delivers a world-class education in design, communications, commerce and science from a tropical island nation that blends cultures from Europe, Africa and Asia. Curtin Mauritius have almost 2000 students currently enrolled, and a growing alumni body of nearly 10,000 students. This includes international students from South Africa, Botswana and Kenya. Our students benefit from exciting industry projects and internship opportunities, ensuring they graduate with the key skills employers are looking for.

Curtin Vice-Chancellor Prof. Harlene Hayne launched Curtin’s new Centre for Australia-Africa Relations during the Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN) Africa Forum at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, on 22 May 2023. The Centre is an innovative hub for supporting and promoting Australia-Africa academic collaboration across research, education and training and is a platform for ongoing engagement with government, industry, the public and African diaspora communities. Key initiatives include building Australia-Africa literacy, developing an African Studies program, and advancing Australia-Africa science diplomacy.

The Emerging Leaders in Australia-Africa Diplomacy (ELAAD) program is a new Curtin-led fellowship program for the Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN). The program aims to create a diverse cohort and ongoing network of postgraduate students and junior diplomats from across Australia and the African continent with leadership potential. The cohort will complete an extensive online program in Australia-Africa relations, engaging with leading scholars and experts, journalists, senior diplomats and policy practitioners. The program will draw on the knowledge, expertise and ideas of the cohort to generate innovative policy ideas and meaningful exchanges that enhance international relations and develop collaborative solutions to global challenges.

This unique, collaborative postgraduate short course is co-convened annually in Mauritius by Curtin Mauritius and the University of Mauritius, with support from the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). The course is delivered to selected students from Australia, Mauritius, South Africa, Indonesia, India and Bangladesh, and provides an opportunity to ‘practice international relations while studying international relations’ through engagement with expert academics, policymakers and local socio-cultural immersion. Students work in diverse teams to engage with regional dynamics including governance, cooperation, security, trade, climate change and the blue economy.

In 2023, Curtin is partnering with the Organisation of African Communities in Western Australia (OACWA) to deliver the WA African Women’s Leadership, Empowerment & Development (A-LEAD) Program. This community-designed and led program aims to enhance the networking and leadership skills of African-Australian women to support their valuable contributions to their communities and wider Western Australian society. The culturally-appropriate and targeted A-LEAD program combines seminars, open forums, group activities and ongoing mentoring.

Led by Curtin, this important Australian Research Council Discovery Project (2022-25) examines the nature and impact of political and economic agency among African migrants in Australia, and their local, national and transnational contributions and ties. It uses mixed methods (survey, interviews, econometric, and media and policy analysis) to investigate the successful navigation of political and economic life by the African diaspora, with the aim that findings will translate to outcomes, and offer a blueprint for policy and engagement. Project partners include the University of Melbourne, Australian National University, University of Sydney, University of Western Australia, University of Newcastle and Swinburne University.

Curtin is an active member of the Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN), the unique 23-member international university network linking Australian and African universities together. Curtin hosts the AAUN Annual Forum in Perth as part of national Australia Africa Week. The AAUN provides access to a ‘one-stop-shop’ intelligence and advisory portal for government institutions, the corporate sector and media; develops institutional research partnerships on Africa; develops capacity building and training programs in areas like governance, public sector reform, education, mining, agriculture and health; produces innovative policy solutions through position papers with key academics, non-government organisations, business and political representatives; and provides post-training support for African scholars, including an alumni network, linking with African communities in Australia.

Every year, Curtin convenes a public lecture with a high-profile speaker from the African continent or the African diaspora in Australia to support the deepening of Australia-Africa literacy. In 2022, the Curtin Africa Public Lecture was delivered by Dr Thandi Mgwebi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Innovation and Internationalisation at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, South Africa on the theme of “Building Sustainable and Equitable Partnerships in Africa”. In 2023, the Curtin Centre for Human Rights Education (CHRE) convened the inaugural Africa Day Public Lecture on 25 May, delivered by Dr Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes on the topic of “Africa’s Indigenous path to the Future”.

The Curtin African Students Association (CASA), or Kabila la Watu (‘The People’s Tribe’), is a Curtin student club that aims to empower its members, heighten cultural awareness and promote acceptance and freedom. The Association offers networking opportunities and social events to students from across the African diaspora.