Thailand Ministerial Delegation visits CAS on 15 September 2016

Thailand currently has university research partnerships with Senegal, Mozambique, Togo and Nigeria and wishes to establish research partnerships in African Studies with universities in South Africa. With this purpose in mind, a Ministerial delegation of the Foreign Affairs Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs visited CAS in September 2016. The key outcome of the discussions (chaired by Associate Professor Horman) was an informal agreement to assist Thailand to put steps in place for an African Studies research programme at its universities. The delegation further sought (1) support and advice from CAS to establish an African Studies Centre in Thailand and to collaborate further with CAS and African Studies on how to do this; (2) advice on how to  educate the Thai public on Africa through a possible lecture series in Thailand; (3) to establish a research partnership on case studies in Community Development Partnerships for Sustainable Development with suitable universities in Thailand; (4) CAS to facilitate research partnerships with Zambia, and especially Ethiopia; and (5) to explore possible common interests with the Royal Institute of Thailand (which hosts high level appointed academics and fellows) for possible exchange programmes with CAS.