In 2024, the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (CHR), is proudly celebrating 10 years of the Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Africa (SRRA) programme. This initiative, which has made a significant regional impact, was born out of a desire to contribute to sexual and reproductive rights scholarship, arm practitioners with the knowledge to confidently steer and influence advocacy, policy, law, and enrich human rights discourse. Currently, this is the only programme on the continent that awards a specialised degree at the Master’s level on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

An intentional characteristic of the course has been to attract interest from students from across the African continent, including South Africa. Students have hailed from Cameroon, Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, to name just a few countries. It remains the mandate of the programme to have as wide a reach as possible in order to ensure that it represents the diversity of the continent. Furthermore,
the continued keen response from applicants serves as validation of the relevance of the programme. Students are not only encouraged to apply their new-found knowledge to their particular contexts, but also to nurture an awareness of the sexual and reproductive rights trends experienced across the continent. They are inspired to have an appreciation for the African human rights system, referring to it and popularising it in their various capacities and jurisdictions, thereby reinforcing the programme’s commitment to local relevance and impact. 

Since its inception, approximately 40 students have graduated with either MPhil or LLM degrees, and this year we welcome our 9th cohort of Masters students. Having included a doctoral programme in 2017, this year also\ welcomes the 3rd cohort of doctoral students, and second Postdoctoral Fellow.

The accomplishments thus far owe much to the backing of donors, faculty, and University of Pretoria leadership, all of whom have embraced the vision of the programme. The objective of the SRRA programme is to continue to evolve, thrive and endure for another decade and beyond, committed to the realisation of sexual and reproductive rights on the African continent. The Programme is committed to continuing to produce the next generation of
scholars and policy makers, who will work towards finding lasting solutions to some of the SRHR challenges facing our continent.

The 10-year anniversary will be a year-long celebration highlighting our accomplishments. It will feature an SRRA alumni colloquium, an alumni dinner, alumni profiles, podcast interviews, and the launch of SRRA books.