The International Geographical Union (IGU), recently approved the formation of theIGU Commission on African Studies, whose overarching aim is the promotion of Africanand Africanist scholarship on issues around and in Africa, ranging from social sciences tonatural sciences, but informed in the main by geographical, multi and interdisciplinaryperspectives. This materialises in the form of inter alia, Thematic Conferences run underthe IGU Commission of African Studies. In pursuit of this mandate, the IGU and theUniversity of Namibia (UNAM), therefore, brings you the Launch of the IGU’s Commissionon African Studies and the inaugural Conference in May 2018.

This means that the IGU Commission on African Studies will hold its first ever AnnualConference following a decision of the IGU to create a platform for African and expertson Africa to examine African challenges and attempt to provide African responses.This is pertinent given the recent global developments ranging from climate change,terrorism, migration and mobility, inequality, poverty and hunger as well as politicalupsurges and reconfigurations, which all call for a (re)consideration and/or response,hence the question “What is Africa’s response to global challenges?” comes to thefore. In this respect, the theme of the conference is: What is Africa’s Response to GlobalChallenges: Understanding drivers of poverty and reducing inequality?

UNAM and IGU hope delegates will be enthused to converge on Windhoek to explore and play a part in identifying how Africa can respond to global challenges now and in the future.

Consequently, the following are the objectives of the conference:

• To examine Africa`s response to a myriad of challenges afflicting the continent
• To bridge the gap between research outputs and policy implementation
• To strengthen the partnership and scholarship between African geographers and scholars on Africa
• To explore the impact of geography and its role to planning and achievement of national development plans UNs SDGs
• To increase IGU research and scientific activities and programmes in Africa

In pursuit of these objectives, we therefore invite participants from all fields of geography and cognate disciplines to submit papers that respond and interrogate, but are not limited to the following:

• Sustainable development and investment
• Marginality and migration
• Higher education and mobility
• Climate change adaptation and mitigation
• Technology and innovation diffusion
• Rural and Urban Poverty reduction
• Biotechnology, Agro-processing and food security
• Oceans and economic development
• Economic and political integration of Africa
• Future geographies

16 February 2018              Deadline for abstract submission

02 March 2018                   Notification of abstract acceptance

06 April 2018                     Deadline for submission of full papers

nera@unam.na