Tawana Kupe is the vice chancellor of the University of Pretoria in South Africa. In December 2019, Professor Kupe was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in Humanities by Michigan State University. He’s on the advisory board for the Alliance for African Partnerships.

Founded by Michigan State University in 2016 in collaboration with African colleagues, the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) is a consortium of MSU, ten leading African universities, and a distinguished network for African research institutes. AAP members are committed to working in equitable partnership to transform lives and address global challenges. The AAP builds on MSU’s long-term engagement in Africa, building on the foundation laid by the African Studies Center and evolving models of engagement in line with AAP’s guiding principles of accountability, equity, inclusivity, sustainability, and transparency.

Conversation highlights:

(:37) – “It’s always wonderful to be at MSU, one of the top leading institutions in the world that makes a difference in the United States, but also globally.”

(1:12) – “In essence, the Alliance for African Partnerships is an alliance of academic institutions dedicated to using knowledge to transform lives around the world and in Africa.”

(3:06) – “What it does is to choose and pair women from the African continent with a mentor at their institution and a mentor at MSU.”

(5:32) – “Translating research impacts and insights into greater societal impact is the next frontier.” 

(6:47) – “The knowledge that we have can erase two of the big existential crises we have in the world: the crisis of our humanity and the crisis of the planet.”

(8:11) – “The partnership is a godsend.”

(11:04) – “There is no society that is ever developed without a free media and a free press.”

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