Representatives from at least 25 African countries will descend on SA this week as Nelson Mandela University hosts The Education Collaborative’s Southern Africa Hub Convening.
The event will take place from January 14 to 16, under the theme “Strengthening Student Development in Higher Education in Southern Africa: Centring Purpose, Belonging and Impact.”
NMU’s director of communication, Primarashni Gower, said the gathering will be held in Johannesburg and is a consortium of African higher education institutions with a common goal to transform systems and strengthen institutional, regulatory and student outcomes on the continent.
The event will bring together higher education leaders and partners from across the Southern Africa region to co-create solutions that transform student outcomes and collectively reimagine education systems in the region.
Among the key speakers are NMU vice-chancellor Prof Sibongile Muthwa, NMU’s director of research support and management Dr Palesa Mothapo, Rhodes University’s student leader Liyabona Nqumani, Cavendish University Uganda’s vice-chancellor Dr Olive Sabiiti, and Ashesi University’s executive director of admissions and financial aid, Araba Botchway.
At least 372 participants and more than 100 higher education leaders and executives from more than 80 institutions will attend.
The convening will also mark the formal launch of the Southern Africa Hub, fostering dialogue on governance, sustainability and collective action.
Executive director of the education collaborative, Rose Dodd, emphasised the scale and collective ambition of the network.
“By participating in the network, institutions enhance their ability to improve graduate outcomes, elevate standards across the sector, and contribute to our bold vision of impacting more than 1.1-million students by 2030.”
NMU’s theoretical physicist and the deputy vice-chancellor for research, innovation and internationalisation, Prof Azwinndini Muronga, highlighted the importance of this sub-Saharan gathering.
“The turbulence we face in our society, economy, education system and political life is not merely cyclical; it is structural.
“We need a shared purpose that brings together education, government, business, labour, and communities to produce a comprehensive landscape for the future workforce, including entrepreneurs and business owners,” Morunga said.
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