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The Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA) is a non-governmental and non-profit research network that was founded in 1980 in the town of Nazareth, Ethiopia, by a group of social scientists from Eastern Africa. Its constituency is based on membership drawn from social scientists and institutions engaged in teaching and/or research in the social sciences in Eastern and Southern Africa. Currently, there are 21 member countries in the region where OSSREA has National Chapters and Liaison Offices. However, its constitution opens membership to social scientists in the following countries of Eastern and Southern Africa: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Institutional membership is open to all institutions, within or outside the region, engaged in the promotion of research in the social sciences in Africa. OSSREA’s head office is located in the Main Campus of Addis Ababa University, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The
major objectives of OSSREA are the following: i.
To encourage and promote interest in the study of and research in the
social sciences in Eastern and Southern Africa; ii.
To promote collaborative research and facilities for scholarly
exchange of ideas and publications between individuals and institutions
engaged in the study of and research in the social sciences; iii.
To promote the training of African scholars in the study of and
research in the social science and encourage the establishment of
institutions dedicated to this goal; iv.
To work in close cooperation with other individuals and institutions
in Africa and elsewhere in the world engaged in the study of the social
sciences; v. To establish a special fund to be used for purposes of providing such research grants and training fellowships as are consistent with its objectives; and vi. To promote dialogue and interaction between social scientists and policy-makers in Eastern and Southern Africa with a view to enhancing the impact of social science research on policy-making and development planning. So
far, the main sources of OSSREA’s finance are the following: 1. Annual membership fees from individuals and institutions, 2. Proceeds from the sale of its publications; and 3. Grants
from donors, major among whom are: Ford Foundation, Swedish International
Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), Norwegian Agency for Development
Cooperation (NORAD), the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and IDRC. 1.
Running Annual Research Grant Competitions 2.
Sponsoring/Conducting Thematic Workshops, Conferences, & Congresses
3.
Building Capacity and Supporting Research Activities 4. Designing, Implementing and/or Monitoring Research Projects 5. Networking Activities 6. Publishing Research Outputs · OSSREA
Congress:
Supreme organ that reviews OSSREA’s activities; sets
new directions, strategies, and goals; formulates general policy; elects
Executive Committee members; and appoints the Executive
Director
and the Deputy Executive
Director. · Executive
Committee:
Members elected by the Congress initially for a period of three years;
generally meets twice a year, unless there is an emergency; oversees
OSSREA’s activities until the next Congress. The only full-time member of
the Executive Committee is the Executive
Director,
who manages the day-to-day activities of the Organisation and solicits funds
from donors for financing the projects of the Organisation. · National
Chapters: Networking
organs established in each of the 21 member countries to
promote OSSREA’s objectives; assigned to serve as a bridge between the
OSSREA Secretariat and social scientists in the region; managed by a Chapter
Committee and a Liaison Officer who coordinates the Chapter’s activities. Current
members of the OSSREA Executive Committee are:
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