The Transdisciplinarity for Early careeR Researchers in Asia+ School (TERRA+ School) was hosted by the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature in Kyoto, Japan from 6-9 December 2025. The programme brought together early career researchers from diverse disciplinary, institutional, and regional backgrounds to strengthen the understanding and practice of transdisciplinary research as a critical approach for addressing complex sustainability challenges. The FEAH and its Leadership Centre support three ECRs from Africa to participate in this capacity-strengthening training programme.

The Future Earth Africa Hub (FEAH), hosted by the National Research Foundation (NRF), convened a dedicated session at SFSA 2025 to showcase efforts in strengthening sustainability science across the African continent. The session titled Empowering Sustainability Science in Africa: Integrating Efforts and Addressing Continental Challenges through the Future Earth Africa Hub and its Leadership Centre, highlighted the pivotal role of the Hub and its Leadership Centre (FEAHLC) in fostering collaboration, building research capacities, and integrating African perspectives into global sustainability science discussions.

The Meeting was held in Pretoria, South Africa, from 25 to 26 November 2025, themed “Forging a Unified Pathway for Transformative Sustainability Science in Africa.” This inaugural gathering brought together Directors and representatives from the West, East, Southern, Central, and North Africa Regional Nodes, along with members of the Future Earth Africa Hub and its Leadership Centre. It marked a significant milestone in advancing the decentralised Regional Nodes framework and strengthening Africa’s contribution to global sustainability science and policy processes.

The Strategic Partner Consultation and Framework Co-Creation Workshop, which was held on 24 November 2025 in Pretoria, South Africa, convened key institutions from Africa and Asia to collectively shape the foundations of the AFRASIA South–South Collaborative Research Programme. The workshop was framed by a shared recognition that the Global South faces converging challenges alongside persistent inequalities in scientific capacity and collaboration.

Between March and October 2025, the National Research Foundation and the Future Earth Africa Hub Leadership Centre conducted visits to all five Regional Nodes, which aimed to support operationalisation, strengthen governance, discuss Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning processes, explore sustainability strategies, and identify opportunities for regional programming and science–policy engagement.

The 2nd meeting of the Future Earth Africa Hub Advisory Board was convened on 29 October 2025 at the National Research Foundation in Pretoria, marking a significant milestone in the operationalisation of the Future Earth Africa Hub. The meeting brought together Advisory Board members, the Africa Hub Secretariat, and the Africa Hub Leadership Centre to formally establish governance arrangements and set the foundation for strategic oversight and support.

Dr Daniel Nyanganyura and Dr Memory Reid represented the Future Earth Africa Hub Leadership Centre (FEAHLC) at the TC ESG 2025 Conference plenary titled “Situating African Issues within the Broader Transformation Context”, held on Tuesday, 19 August 2025, in Johannesburg, South Africa. The session brought African perspectives into a global conversation on sustainability transformations, emphasising how African-led knowledge, innovation, and practice are shaping globally relevant pathways for change.

A networking mission was undertaken from 20 to 22 July 2025 in Indonesia, to engage with key Indonesian scientific and higher education institutions and to explore new opportunities for South–South cooperation in science, technology and innovation. The mission aimed to strengthen institutional linkages, foster strategic alliances, and lay the groundwork for future international programme collaboration between African and Indonesian partners.

The Consultative Workshop on Enhancing South–South Cooperation for Sustainable Development was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 16 to 17 July 2025, as part of the Technical Visit and Joint Committee Meeting under the Malaysia–South Africa Bilateral Agreement. The workshop was convened under the auspices of UNESCO through the International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre for South–South Cooperation, in collaboration with the National Research Foundation of South Africa and the Future Earth Africa Hub and its Leadership Centre.

A working meeting for the Future Earth Africa Hub took place on 28-29 August 2025 at the Environmental Learning Research Centre, Rhodes University in Makhanda, South Africa. The meeting convened at a pivotal moment, following the foundational and transformative first three-year phase of the Africa Hub Leadership Centre, which was inaugurated in 2023 to facilitate the scientific operations of the Future Earth Global Secretariat Hub in Africa.

The Future Earth Africa hub and its Leadership Center, supported by the National Research Fund (NRF) Kenya, the Future Earth East Africa Node at Maseno University, and the National Research Foundation (NRF) South Africa, will host the third edition of the Africa Satellite Event as part of the Sustainability Research and Innovation (SRI) Congress 2025 in Chicago US at the University of Nairobi, Kenya.

The Future Earth Africa Hub Assembly Meeting, convened at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, from June 2 to 3, 2025, was organised by the Future Earth Africa Hub and the Leadership Centre. The Assembly marks a pivotal gathering of sustainability scientists from the Leadership Centre’s sustainability science cluster, representatives from the National Research Foundation of South Africa and the Future Earth Africa Hub Regional Nodes, as well as Future Earth Global, along with staff from the Hub and the Leadership Centre.

The 19th Africa Young Graduates and Scholars (AYGS) Conference, co-organized by the Future Earth Africa Hub Leadership Centre (FEAHLC); the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR), and other key partners, took place at University of Mpumalanga, South Africa from 4 to 6 March 2025. This conference served as a critical platform for young scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to exchange research-based insights on Africa’s development challenges and opportunities. Aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the conference explored pathways for achieving inclusive growth and sustainable development across the continent.

As part of the SRI Africa Satellite Event, the Future Earth Africa Hub and its Leadership Centre hosted a one-day Consultative meeting to engage diverse research and innovation partners.

The Sustainability Science Partners Forum, which was held in Pretoria, South Africa, 3 December 2024, focused on the unique challenges faced by the Global South and highlighted the transformative potential of South-South and Triangular Cooperation in driving impactful solutions. The Forum was co-organized by the International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre for South-South Cooperation under the auspices of UNESCO, the National Research Foundation South Africa, Future Earth Africa Hub, and the Future Earth Africa Hub Leadership Centre.

The Future Earth Africa Hub Leadership Centre (FEAHLC) actively participated in the Science Forum South Africa (SFSA2024), a premier platform for dialogue and collaboration on science, innovation, and sustainability. As part of its commitment to advancing sustainability science in Africa, the FEAHLC organised two sessions during the forum. These sessions aimed to highlight the role of the FEAHLC and its Sustainability Science Clusters in addressing continental challenges and fostering transdisciplinary research.

The Future Earth Africa Hub Leadership Centre organised a science clusters workshop that was held at the University of Pretoria Future Africa Campus, on 27 and 28 November 2023.

Representatives from the National Research Foundation of South Africa, the Future Earth Africa Hub, and the Leadership Centre visited the Future Earth Japan Hub from 27 to 29 November 2024. The visit marked a significant milestone in fostering international collaboration and advancing sustainability science between the two Hubs. It underscored the shared commitment of both Hubs to addressing global sustainability challenges through coordinated efforts, knowledge exchange, and capacity building.

The Future Earth Africa Hub Leadership Centre and the National Research Foundation of South Africa undertook a strategic and productive visit to the Future Earth US Hub from 28 to 30 October 2024. The delegation engaged in a series of meetings with key stakeholders, including the Future Earth US Hub at George Mason University, the National Science Foundation, and the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). This visit was aimed at fostering international collaboration, advancing global sustainability initiatives, and strengthening partnerships between Africa Hub and the US Hub.

The training workshop took place in Pretoria, South Africa on 14-16 October 2024.

Members of the ISER led Science Cluster on Land and Investments in Africa (SCOLIA) visited the Eastern Cape province for the first time on the week of the 8th September 2024. This was the first meeting of the cluster, which is funded under the Future Earth Africa Hub Leadership Centre (FEAHLC) at Rhodes University and University of Pretoria.

The recent visit to the Future Earth Sweden Hub by Future Earth Africa Hub, the Leadership Centre and the National Research Foundation of South Africa representatives, marked a significant step toward fostering a robust, long-term partnership between the two Hubs. The visit, which took place in Stockholm on 7-9 October 2024, aimed to explore strategic collaborations that utilise sustainability science initiatives, share resources, and build capacity to tackle urgent global and regional environmental challenges.

The Future Earth Africa Hub Regional Nodes Induction Workshop, held at Rhodes University on 1-3 October 2024, represented a pivotal moment in advancing collaborative efforts towards sustainability and resilience across the African continent. This landmark event brought together 36 participants, including Future Earth Africa Hub Regional Nodes Directors, Future Earth Africa Hub Leaderships Centre Sustainability Science Cluster leads and their representatives, Consortium partners, and postdoctoral fellows, fostering a vibrant and inclusive platform for knowledge sharing, strategic dialogue, knowledge exchange and strategic planning.

The workshop will be held at Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa on 1 – 3 October 2024.

The Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress 2024 (SRI2024), held from June 10 to June 14, 2024 in Helsinki, Finland, was a significant gathering for those dedicated to advancing sustainability research and innovation.

The Sustainability and Innovation Congress Africa Satellite Event held 21 – 24 May 2024 was a pivotal gathering that showcases the wealth of African perspectives in sustainability science and innovation.

The Future Earth Africa Hub Regional Nodes on 22 May 2024, marked an important milestone towards the operationalisation of the Africa Hub.

The Future Earth Africa Hub and Future Earth Africa Hub Leadership Centre Consultative Meeting was successfully held on 20 May 2024 in Durban, South Africa, as a pre-event to the SRI2024 Africa Satellite Event. This strategic gathering brought together key stakeholders, including Steering Committee Members, Regional Nodes Directors, and representatives from the Sustainability Science Clusters, to deliberate on the progress, challenges, and future direction of the Africa Hub and the Leadership Centre.

The Future Earth Africa Hub Leadership Centre (FEAHLC) What is it and where is it located physically? The FEAHLC is a Future Earth’s Science Leadership Centre in Africa. The leadership and administration staff of the centre are located at two universities, namely, Rhodes University and the University of Pretoria.

Rhodes University in collaboration with the University of Pretoria will host the Future Earth Africa Hub Leadership Centre from 2023 to 2026. This will be the first hub for the continent and one of a few in the world under Future Earth, a global initiative focused on advancing sustainability science.