As a registered association, ANSA’s activities are based on its statutes and mission statement adopted by the general assembly in 2013. Below you can find the mission statement. The statutes can be downloaded via this link.
ANSA Mission Statement:
The Africa Network for Students and Alumni Africa e.V. (ANSA) unites former scholarship holders of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), who have either conducted research or studied in sub-Saharan Africa or are from this region and have studied, researched, or are currently studying in Germany. ANSA’s activities are also open to individuals with comparable experiences in sub-Saharan Africa, who can actively contribute to achieving the association’s goals but were not funded by the DAAD.
ANSA promotes international relations in the spirit of intercultural understanding. The network is neutral in terms of ideology, denomination, and politics. ANSA maintains a close and trusting collaboration with DAAD.
The goal of ANSA is to promote education and science through interdisciplinary and intercultural exchange among its members. This is intended to motivate and support members in using their specific competencies for the common good, beyond the boundaries of the association.
ANSA’s members bring together diverse, outstanding, subject- and region-specific expertise related to the African continent and beyond. The interdisciplinary exchange is particularly fruitful for the further development of both specialized and cross-disciplinary knowledge and skills of the members. At the same time, this exchange serves as a basis for cooperation projects by ANSA members that align with the association’s goals.
A defining feature of ANSA is the growing diversity of its activities. The annual conferences, which include a general assembly, form the foundation. Each conference addresses a practical topic with scientific depth. The association’s website serves as the internal and external communication platform for the network. ANSA involves new DAAD scholarship holders in the network even before their stay abroad.
ANSA creates spaces for intercultural exchange and critical discussions. The insights gained can be beneficially applied by ANSA members in their professional activities, in research and teaching, as well as in their social engagement.