We are delighted to announce that the 5th APGroN International Conference will take place from 26 – 28 November 2025 at the UNISA Parow Campus, Cape Town. This milestone marks five years of APGroN’s journey in building capacity, creating platforms for dialogue, and nurturing the next generation of African scholars.

The theme for 2025 is:
“Exploring Technological Advancements in Gender, Aviation, Marine and Energy Studies as Potential Key Economic Drivers for Africa’s Advancement.”

This year, APGroN is proud to host the conference in partnership with the Black Lawyers Association Student Chapter (BLASC), Cape Town Branch and the Black Forum Student Chapter. These collaborations reflect our shared commitment to creating spaces of access, transformation, and intellectual growth for Africa’s students and scholars.

An Open and Inclusive Conference

While grounded in law and international studies, this conference is open to all disciplines. Our approach is deliberately multi-, inter-, and trans-disciplinary, inviting insights from across the sciences, humanities, social sciences, business, and technology. Whether you are working on energy transitions, digital rights, maritime trade, or gender and technology, your voice is welcome in this space.

The conference also provides an entry point for first-time presenters who are beginning their academic journey, alongside junior and emerging scholars, and seasoned researchers who bring depth and experience. APGroN has always insisted that such encounters create fertile ground for mentorship relationships – a core part of our ethos of nurturing Africa’s next cohort of scholars, PhD holders, and professors.

Conference Highlights

The 2025 conference will feature:

• Keynote addresses from leading scholars and practitioners.
• High-level panels engaging pressing issues across aviation, marine, energy, and gender studies.
• Breakaway sessions for deeper discussion and exchange.
• The Research and Publication Capacity-Building Colloquium, which remains the beating heart of the conference, equipping students and young researchers with tools in research design, methodology, and publication skills.

Conference Themes

1. Aligning Energy Policies for Sustainable and Transdisciplinary Development in Africa
2. Africa’s Aviation Industry as a Catalyst for Regional Economic Integration
3. Advancing Africa’s Blue Economy: Infrastructure, Governance, Inclusion, and Sustainability
4. Technology, Gender, and Power: Rethinking Inclusion in the Digital Age

Why Attend?

The APGroN Conference is more than an academic gathering. It is a place to learn, share, and grow. It is where Africa’s diverse voices meet, where new scholars gain their first platform, where established researchers find fresh collaborations, and where mentorship takes root across generations.

This conference turns five years old in 2025 – a proud milestone that reaffirms APGroN’s role as a catalyst for inclusive scholarship and transformative dialogue.