The role of the International African Institute is to facilitate and promote communication between African scholars working within Africa and between these scholars and Africanists outside the continent
One of the major problems facing African scholars is their lack of access to current books and journals published outside the continent (or even in an African country other than their own). Increasingly they feel they are being marginalised from the mainstream of current debate, unable to participate effectively in international conferences and seminars, reluctant to submit articles for publication in international journals. The Institute has been active in initiating and promoting schemes which attempt to address this problem.