PARC recognises that historic colonial power imbalances have influenced the way that research activity on African issues have been conducted in the past.

This has resulted in one-sided and invariably inappropriate policy proposals that end up not being adopted to the disadvantage of all.

PARC’S primary goal is to devise new approaches to the way research is undertaken in partnership with African institutions and academics so that local voices can be heard and listened to.

A secondary goal is to see the University of Bristol become recognised as a centre of excellence on African policy issues and as a result attract more students from Africa and its diaspora to come to study at the University.

In the first instance the Centre will come up with a Perivoli Charter to be adopted at the University and more broadly.

The Charter will stress the need for partnerships between developed world institutions and African institutions to be the starting point for research activity.

The Centre has launched research projects on topics such as water and sanitation, gender and sexual and reproductive rights, the need to care for the elderly, climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and more broadly the way that policies are delivered and implemented. Further topics are being lined up.

The Centre is led by Professor Isabella Aboderin  Perivoli Chair in Africa Research and Partnerships