The Canary Islands have become a centre of diplomatic reference, business emergence and growing academic potential with the African continent. On this basis, the ULPGC organised in May 2024, with the support of Casa África, the Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, the strategic event Bridge to Africa (BtA), which included more than 200 contributions through presentations by renowned speakers; technical presentations by researchers, heads of knowledge networks, organisations, companies and NGOs. This event has been the seed for the creation of an International Knowledge Hub in Africa that will enable the creation of a reference pole under the commitment of the training and research centres of the Canary Islands, its governmental institutions and its business fabric. The ultimate objective is to create an infrastructure of training, research and transfer services that contribute to mutual growth and learning through this bridge of international knowledge to Africa.

To this end, the Bridge to Africa Consortium is constituted for the design of the Bridge to Africa International Cooperation Plan, the programming of the Bridge to Africa Action Plan, the organisation of the Bridge to Africa Cities Network and the organisation of the Bridge to Africa Forum.

In the First Follow-up Meeting of the BRIDGE to AFRICA strategic initiative, which took place on 21 October 2024 at 12:30 pm in the Board Room of the Institutional Headquarters of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the extension of the initiative’s strategy, the main lines of action and the action programme for 2025 for the approval of a Bridge to Africa Cooperation Plan (Canary Islands-West Africa) were discussed.

In the Second Meeting that took place on 20 January 2025 in the Board Room of the Institutional Headquarters of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, aspects related to the governance of the consortium were outlined, such as the creation of a technical secretariat, the formalisation of the consortium through a letter of commitment or adhesion, the calendar of activities and the first actions.