[This story is part of our collection on transforming research collaboration. It highlights efforts and challenges in reimagining partnerships for greater equity, with a focus on strengthening Southern-led approaches to research.]

The main objective of the programme is to create a platform for dialogue on innovative research topics and issues, primarily, but not exclusively, for scholars based in Germany and Africa. In addition, the programme aims to facilitate transformations within North-South collaborations in two interrelated areas: the critical examination of assumed and real hierarchies of knowledge and academic traditions and the addressing of existing structural inequalities.  

Launched in 2009, the Point Sud programme consists of an annual series of scientific workshops and conferences in the social sciences and humanities. It is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and coordinated by the Goethe University Frankfurt (Germany), under the lead of Prof. Mirco Goepfert, and the Point Sud Research Institute for Local Knowledge in Bamako (Mali), under the direction of Prof. Mamadou Diawara. Each year, following a call for proposals, researchers from Germany and Africa can jointly apply for funding to organise a workshop. There are no thematic requirements in the call to facilitate the inclusion of different research agendas from the Global North and South in the programme. To date, 98 workshops and conferences have been organised with over 2,200 participants from more than 65 countries. Proposals are selected by a Steering Committee of seven scientists from Germany and Africa with different disciplinary backgrounds.

All events take place in Africa. This decision aims to reverse the dominant flow of scientists from South to North. For the first four years, all workshops were held at Point Sud in Bamako. The military coup in Mali in 2012 brought the programme to a halt. But the crisis turned into an opportunity, and the idea of creating a network of partner institutions in Africa was born. The network was established in 2014 and has since grown to include nine research institutions in eight African countries (Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, and South Africa). The result is a pan-African network that transcends linguistic boundaries and research traditions. The legal status of the partner institutions varies from university-based institutes to independent non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Challenging Theories from the North

With regard to the production of scientific knowledge, the programme seeks to promote scientific perspectives from Africa, challenging the applicability of dominant theories and concepts from the Global North to the realities found in Africa. An important benchmark of the programme is that up to 60% of the participants come from all parts of Africa. More importantly, all workshop proposals must be developed jointly by a team of researchers from Germany, Africa, and beyond, reflecting the diverse research agendas of the North and South. 

Bringing together different research agendas is challenging, as there is a tendency for academics from the North to prioritise basic research. At the same time, colleagues from Africa tend to focus more on applied research. This is linked to the mandate of African universities to contribute to the development of their countries. As a result, proposals for the Point Sud programme initiated in Africa often focus on capacity building and policy recommendations. As the DFG mainly funds basic research, researchers in Africa often have to rework their proposals together with their co-applicants from Germany to increase their chances of being selected. At first glance, this could be seen as a “bending” of research interests to fit into funding programmes in the North. In reality, however, African scientists also have a strong interest in basic research but find it more difficult to obtain funding in Africa. They then use the programme as an opportunity, together with their Northern counterparts, to raise questions about the applicability of Northern concepts and theories to African realities. In this way, the programme has become an important forum for debates on decolonising knowledge production.  Nevertheless, elements of applied research are brought back into the programme by emphasising the socio-political relevance of the chosen topics and by involving civil society actors in the workshop debates.

Addressing Structural Inequalities

The programme addresses structural asymmetries in science in general and in North-South cooperation in particular. Applicants must meet specific criteria such as promoting interdisciplinarity, strengthening gender equality, supporting early career researchers, and overcoming language barriers. By insisting on these criteria, the programme has ensured that 45-52% of participants are female scholars, up to 65% are early career researchers, and almost all workshops are bilingual (English-French or English-Portuguese).   

A typical asymmetry in North-South cooperation is funding. The Goethe University Frankfurt is the lead applicant for the programme and receives third-party funds and overheads. The African network partners cannot apply directly to the DFG for funding, as the foundation’s main task is to support researchers and institutions in Germany. Instead, the partner institution hosting a particular event receives a portion of the funds to cover the services provided for the organisation of the workshop. The DFG is very concerned about this kind of inequality, but changing the existing rules takes time. More research funding in Africa would also be needed to reduce dependence on funding from the North.

Structural inequalities are also evident in decision-making powers and procedures. The selection of proposals for the programme was decided by a Steering Committee consisting of five scientists from German and two from African institutions. While most African network partners can apply for workshops and are scientifically involved, they are not directly involved in the selection process. To address this imbalance, the network decided to nominate two additional representatives to the committee, bringing the number of members to seven.

Dynamics of North-South Collaboration

Much has been achieved. All partners have gained more international visibility and also strengthened their position within the local scientific community. But much remains to be done, and North-South cooperation is an ongoing, dynamic process. The story of the pan-African endeavour will continue, for example by extending the network to East Africa in the future, strengthening African leadership in the programme’s governance structure, and reflecting on more equitable formats of knowledge production. Most importantly, it will continue by emphasising the conviviality of North-South cooperation.    

[Explore other stories from our collection on transforming research collaboration and engage with ideas envisioning a more equitable future for research. ]

RELATED POSTS