Reimagining international partnerships

UWaterloo delegation to Ghana and South Africa signals opportunities for pan-African collaboration. By Sam Toman Manager, Executive Communications Near the end of 2023, University of Waterloo President, Vivek Goel and AVP Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism, Christopher Taylor led a Waterloo delegation travelling to South Africa and Ghana. With the Waterloo at 100 vision that includes a decolonized future for our institution, it is important to examine and reimagine our relationships with African institutions. These countries, and Africa as a whole, represent an opportunity to build pan-African collaborations, and forge a future where relationships with international partners prioritize equity, sustainability, as well as discovery. "The pace of change and advancement across Africa is accelerating," says Goel. "For a global research university, this requires us to reimagine motivations, impacts, and outcomes for our international partnerships." Reimagining Taylor's work as AVP and our institution's relationship with the continent are reasons why he and the Goel made the trip alongside members from Waterloo International. "If we only consider what the continent can offer us, we unfortunately enter into a space of brain drain and exploitation," says Taylor who doubles as a professor of History at Waterloo.