ARTICLE 1

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Sec.1. The Date of the Conference: The Annual Conference of the African Studies and Research Forum (ASRF) shall be held in March or another month of each year. The exact date shall be decided by the Executive Committee of the ASRF in consultation with the host institution.

Sec. 2: The Theme of the Conference: The theme for each annual conference of the ASRF shall be chosen by the ASRF’s Executive Committee.

Sec.3: The Program Committee: The President of the ASRF shall appoint two persons to serve as the Co- Chairs of the Program Committee for every Annual Conference, with the approval of the ASRF’s Executive Committee. The Co-Chairs of the Program Committee shall have the following responsibilities:

Sec. 3.1: Write, and issue the “Call for Paper, Panel and Roundtable Proposals,” including the deadline for submission.

Sec. 3.2: Receive and evaluate all of the proposals, and select the successful ones for the conference, on a rolling basis, as per the deadline for submission.

Sec. 3.3: Develop an email contact list for those, who submitted successful paper, panel and roundtable proposals.

Sec. 3.4: Formulate the program for the conference, especially the various panels.

Sec. 3.5: Keep the President and the Executive Committee of the ASRF regularly apprised about the activities of the Program Committee.

Sec. 4: The Local Arrangements Committee: The President of the ASRF shall appoint the lead person at the host institution for the Annual Conference as Chair of the Local Arrangements Committee. In turn, the Chair of the Local Arrangements Committee shall select the other Members of the Local Arrangements Committee. The Local Arrangements Committee shall be responsible for:

Sec. 4.1: Making arrangements at the host institution for the meetings rooms for the conference’s opening session, panels, and other activities.

Sec. 4.2: Making arrangements with area hotels to provide accommodation for the conference’s participants at a conference rate (each participant is responsible to book, and pay for his or her own accommodation).

Sec. 4.3: Making arrangements for ground transportation from the hotels to the conference’s venue.

Sec. 4.4: Make other logistical arrangements that may be relevant to the success of the conference, as per the host institution agreement.

Sec. 4.5: Provide information to the conference participants about the logistics.

4.6: Keep the President and the Executive Committee of the ASRF regularly apprised about the activities of the Local Arrangements Committee.

Sec. 5: The Registration Fees: The Executive Committee of the ASRF shall determine the registration fees for each Annual Conference.

ARTICLE 2

RESEARCH CONFERENCE*

Sec. 1: Purpose: The purpose of the Research Conference is to focus on the examination of a specific topic relating to Africa, through the presentation of papers, roundtables, posters, etc.

Sec. 2: Date and Venue: Any member or members of the ASRF may propose the holding of a Research Conference to focus on a specific topic at any time. The proposal must include the topic of the conference, date and venue, and the plan for underwriting the cost. The proposal for the holding of a Research Conference shall be submitted in writing to the ASRF’s Research and Publications Committee, no less than one year prior to the holding of the conference. The Research and Publications Committee may approve or disapprove of the holding of the conference and shall communicate its decision in writing to the member or members, no more than one month after the submission of the proposal for holding the conference.

Sec. 3: Management: The Research and Publications Committee shall be responsible for the management of all Research Conferences. In this vein, the committee may appoint a program committee for soliciting, reviewing and selecting the papers and roundtables to be presented at a Research Conference, and develop the program. Similarly, the Research and Publications Committee shall appoint a Local Arrangements Committee, which shall be responsible for the logistics of the conference.

ARTICLE 3

AWARDS

Sec. 1: The Establishment of New Awards: Any member of the ASRF may propose the establishment of a new award. The proposal shall be made in writing submitted to the Executive Secretary of the ASRF, for the Executive Committee’s consideration. The ASRF’s Executive Committee shall consider the proposal and vote on it. If the Executive Committee approves the establishment of the said award, it shall submitted its decision (approval) to the Forum (the General Body) for approval.

Sec. 2: The Establishment of New Named Awards: Any member of the ASRF may propose the establishment of a new named award. The proposal shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Secretary of the ASRF for consideration by the Executive Committee. Specifically, the proposal shall state: a) the amount that will be awarded to the recipient(s) of the named award; b) the source of funding for the named award; and c) the time the money that is associated with the named award will be sent to the Treasurer of the ASRF. In addition, the sponsor(s) of an named award shall have absolutely no role in the annual selection of the recipient(s) for the award. Instead, the winner(s) shall be chosen exclusively by the ASRF’s Standing Committee for Awards. However, if the sponsor of the named award is a member of the ASRF, he or she may nominate the annual recipient(s) of the award like all other members of the ASRF.  After the Executive Committee approves a new named award, it shall submit its decision to the Forum (the General Body) for approval.

Sec. 3: The Naming of Existing ASRF Awards: Any existing ASRF award may be named either by a member or members or external benefactor(s). A proposal for naming an existing ASRF must be submitted in writing to the Executive Secretary of the ASRF for consideration by the Executive Committee. Specifically, the proposal shall state: a) the amount that will be awarded to the recipient(s) of the named award; b) the source of funding for the named award; and c) the time the money that is associated with the named award will be sent to the Treasurer of the ASRF. In addition, the sponsor(s) of an named award shall have absolutely no role in the annual selection of the recipient(s) for the award. Instead, the winner(s) shall be chosen exclusively by the ASRF’s Standing Committee for Awards. However, if the sponsor of the named award is a member of the ASRF, he or she may nominate the annual recipient(s) of the award like all other members of the ASRF. The Executive Committee shall approve all proposals to name existing ASRF awards.

ARTICLE 4

GRANTS

Sec.1: Permanent Grants: Permanent grants may be established for research, travel, and for other activities that are consistent with the purposes of the ASRF. These permanent grants must be approved by the Executive Committee and the Forum of the ASRF. Similarly, proposals to either endow existing permanent grants or to establish new ones must follow the process outlined in Article 2, Sections 2 and 3 of the Operating Procedures. The grants will be administered by the appropriate committees of the ASRF, based on the relevant guidelines.

Sec. 1: Ad Hoc Grants: Ad Hoc grants may either be directly established by the ASRF, or through funds provided members of the ASRF or external benefactors to support activities consistent with the ASRF’s mission. In the case of ad hoc grants that are directly established by the ASRF, the proposals may come from any member or members of the ASRF, and be approved by the Executive Committee. As for ad hoc grants that are established through donations from either members of the ASRF or external benefactors, the providers of the funding should submit a letter to the ASRF’s Executive Committee outlining the purpose of the grant, the amount, and the duration, as well as the time the funds will be sent to the ASRF. The recipients of all ad hoc grants whether directly funded by the ASRF or members of the ASRF or external benefactors will be selected only by the appropriate committees of the ASRF.

ARTICLE 5

AMENDMENTS

Sec.1: A member of the ASRF may propose an amendment to the Operating Procedures. The proposed amendment must be submitted in writing to the Executive Secretary. In turn, the Executive Committee shall consider, and vote on the amendment. If the amendment is approved, the Executive Committee shall then submit it to the Forum (The General Body) for approval

ARTICLE 6

TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

Sec.1: Prior to the approval of the Operating Procedures by the ASRF’s Executive Committee and the Forum, the former shall formulate Interim Procedures for conducting the affairs of the ASRF, in compliance with the provisions of the Charter of the ASRF.

Sec. 2: Once the Operating Procedures are approved by the ASRF’s Executive Committee and Forum, they shall immediately take effect. Simultaneously, the Interim Procedures shall  cease to exist.

Approved by the Executive Committee of the African Studies and Research Forum (ASRF) during its Fourth Quarterly Meeting held on March 29, 2018, at the University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia, United States of America, and ratified by the  Forum on April 21, 2018.

*Amendment approved by the Forum on March 5, 2021.