The African Studies Centre Leiden is an interfaculty institute of Leiden University based in Leiden, the Netherlands. Founded in 1947, it is a multidisciplinary academic knowledge institute dedicated to the study of Africa. The ASCL conducts research, contributes to university teaching and maintains a public library and documentation service. Its activities cover historical and contemporary developments in African societies as well as Africa's relationships with the wider world.

The ASCL seeks to strengthen African studies and promote informed understanding of the continent within academia and among the wider public. It work addresses political, economic, social and cultural change, including questions of inequality, conflict, health, environmental change, natural resources and economic development. The institute also supports interdisciplinary cooperation, engagement with African perspectives and the dissemination of research to policymakers, civil society and other audiences.