Royal African Society

What Royal African Society does

The Royal African Society is a UK-registered charity (Charity No: 1062764) and membership organization founded in 1901, governed by a Royal Charter granted in 1968, with the specific mandate of increasing knowledge of Africa in the United Kingdom and promoting understanding between the UK and Africa. It is headquartered at SOAS, University of London, and operates across five programmatic pillars: academia, business, arts and culture, education, and policy. Its core products include the African Affairs journal (the world's top-ranked journal in African Studies, published quarterly by Oxford University Press), the African Arguments online platform (reaching approximately 100,000 people monthly), the Film Africa festival (now in its 12th edition), the Africa Writes literary festival (London and Bristol), and the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Africa. Educational sub-products include Africa Writes Young Voices, Film Africa Young Audiences, and Poetry in the Primary Classroom, with a policy advocacy line on Africa in the UK Curriculum.

Name

Royal African Society

Legal name

Royal African Society

Website

https://royalafricansociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1901

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Royal African Society is a UK-registered charity and Royal Charter-holding membership organization, founded in 1901, that convenes, publishes, and advocates for UK-Africa engagement across academia, business, arts, education, and policy through its journal, festivals, and APPG secretariat.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Relations and Membership Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA), Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD)

Keywords

• Membership organization
• Cultural relations services
• African studies journal
• Film festival programming
• Policy advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Individual memberships at £85/year, student memberships at £40/year, and lifetime memberships at £1,500. Membership provides access to events, publications, and networking opportunities.
2. Journal African Affairs: Publication partnership with Oxford University Press. The journal is the world's top ranked journal in African Studies, providing academic revenue through subscriptions.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate membership and sponsorship arrangements with companies including Standard Chartered Bank and other corporate partners.
4. Donations and Grants: Funding from foundations including Arts Council England, Garfield Weston Foundation, Miles Morland Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and Standard Chartered Bank.
5. Event Revenue: Ticket sales and participation fees for signature events including Film Africa festival and Africa Writes literary festival.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Royal African Society is a UK membership organization that operates publications, cultural festivals, policy programmes, and educational initiatives focused on advancing understanding between the UK and Africa. Its core offerings include the African Affairs academic journal (published with Oxford University Press), the African Arguments digital platform, the Film Africa and Africa Writes festivals, the APPG for Africa secretariat, and a tiered membership programme serving a network of over one million people.

Product overview

The Royal African Society is a membership organization offering a portfolio of publications, cultural festivals, policy advocacy, business programmes, and educational initiatives focused on Africa. The core offerings include African Affairs (the world's top-ranked academic journal on African Studies published quarterly by Oxford University Press), African Arguments (a pan-African online platform for news and opinion reaching 100,000 people monthly), the Film Africa Festival (one of Europe's leading African cinema showcases, now in its 12th edition), and the Africa Writes Festival (the UK's biggest platform for contemporary African writing). The Society also administers the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Africa and offers membership programmes with tiered access to events, publications, and networking opportunities. Corporate partnership programmes provide additional access to African leaders and business networks. Educational initiatives include youth programmes (Africa Writes Young Voices, Film Africa Young Audiences), teacher training (Poetry in the Primary Classroom), and curriculum advocacy (Africa in the UK Curriculum).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• African Affairs: The world's top ranked journal in African Studies, published quarterly by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal African Society.
• African Arguments
• Film Africa
• Africa Writes

Products and services

• African Affairs Journal The world's top-ranked interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed academic journal in African Studies, published quarterly by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal African Society. It focuses on the politics and international relations of Africa, including sociology, anthropology, economics, history, literature, and art, and serves scholars, researchers, and academic institutions.
• African Arguments Platform A leading pan-African digital platform for news, investigation, and opinion that analyses issues facing the African continent, investigates stories that matter, and amplifies a diversity of voices. It reaches an average of 100,000 people globally every month and targets readers, researchers, and policy audiences interested in African affairs.
• Film Africa Festival An annual film festival celebrating African and African diaspora cinema, featuring groundbreaking films, documentaries, shorts, director Q&As, masterclasses, and cultural encounters. Now in its 12th edition, it serves film enthusiasts, industry professionals, and African cinema audiences in the UK and Europe.
• Africa Writes Festival

Quantifiable outcome

• African Affairs is the world's top ranked journal in African Studies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• APO GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024Strategic partnership announced September 2024, expanding the Society's digital reach and content distribution capabilities across African markets.
• SOAS University of LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosting relationship providing headquarters location at SOAS, 10 Thornhaugh Street. Facilitates academic partnerships, research collaboration, and access to university resources and student networks.
• Oxford University PresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublication partner for African Affairs journal - the world's top ranked journal in African Studies. OUP handles distribution and production of the flagship academic publication.
• British CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for research initiatives and cultural programming, leveraging British Council's global network and resources for UK-Africa engagement.
• International African InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for African Arguments platform - a digital publication providing analysis and commentary on African affairs, politics, and development.
• BFI SouthbankmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for Film Africa festival - annual film festival showcasing African cinema. BFI Southbank provides venue and promotional support.
• Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partnership for Poetry in the Primary Classroom programme, developing teaching resources for African poetry in UK primary schools.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Royal Commonwealth Society: UK-based Royal Charter membership organisation focused on Commonwealth affairs, with overlapping member-base in the Africa diaspora, parallel cultural programming, and similar reliance on membership dues and events. Highly comparable institutional model with a Royal Charter and historical London headquarters.
• International African Institute: Long-standing scholarly organisation dedicated to African studies, partner with Royal African Society on the African Arguments platform and book series. Operates the Debating Ideas blog and complementary academic publishing, serving overlapping academic and policy audiences.
• Royal Over-Seas League: UK Royal membership organisation promoting international understanding through cultural and networking activities. Co-marketed alongside Royal African Society on its homepage; comparable membership model, Royal Charter positioning, and cultural programming for international affairs.

Broad incumbents

• British Council: UK quasi-governmental body delivering cultural, educational, and policy programmes internationally including across Africa. A formal Royal African Society partner and the dominant scale player in UK cultural diplomacy; overlaps heavily in arts programming, education initiatives, and policy engagement in Africa.
• Chatham House (Africa Programme): Royal Institute of International Affairs with a dedicated Africa Programme producing influential policy research, events, and convenings. Competes with the Royal African Society's policy work and APPG-adjacent convening power, attracting similar corporate and policy-maker audiences.
• Overseas Development Institute (ODI): Leading UK global affairs think tank with significant Africa-focused policy research, convenings, and donor-funded programmes. Overlaps with Royal African Society on policy advocacy, Africa-focused analysis, and engagement with the UK development policy community.

Emerging players

• Africa Confidential: Subscription-based publication providing in-depth analysis on African politics and business. Competes directly with the African Arguments platform and African Affairs journal for paying professional and policy audiences seeking Africa-focused intelligence.
• Africa No Filter: Grant-making organisation focused on shifting stereotypical narratives about Africa through media, arts, and storytelling grants. Operates in adjacent cultural and narrative-change territory and may compete for the same foundation funders (Open Society, Ford).
• African Leadership Network: Pan-African network connecting African business leaders across the continent and diaspora. Comparable membership-based model targeting the UK-Africa business community, with parallel corporate engagement and convening events.

Regional players

• Africa Film Festival (various, e.g. Africa in Motion): Edinburgh-based annual African film festival comparable to Film Africa. Represents the main UK competitor for African cinema audiences, sponsors, and venue partnerships, with overlapping curatorial and educational programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/royafrisoc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/royafrisoc
• Facebookfacebook.com/royafrisoc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/royal-african-society-the-
• Instagraminstagram.com/royafrisoc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Royal African Society