• UKZN student, Funeka Shabalala, has won the Sustainable Fashion Designer of the Year title at the national Green Campus Initiative,

• A fashion designer with no formal training, he creates innovative designs using biodegradable waste,

• Shabalala hopes to become a registered nurse and a sustainable fashion designer in the future.

Funeka Shabalala, a first-year Bachelor of Nursing student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), has won the Sustainable Fashion Designer of the Year title at the national Green Campus Initiative (GCI).

A self-taught fashion designer, Shabalala specialises in creating innovative designs from used shopping bags, paper, and plastic, all of which are biodegradable.

The GCI is a national university initiative aimed at promoting sustainability and environmental awareness amongst students, by encouraging them to develop innovative projects that reduce waste and promote green living.

More than 300 students and 120 staff members representing 21 universities from across South Africa attended the national competition, where Shabalala was crowned Sustainable Fashion Designer of the Year.

Shabalala, who initially studied for a Bachelor of Arts degree, was first introduced to the GCI competition in 2025, when UKZN’s Department of Student Residences (DSRAs) encouraged all UKZN residences to participate in a fashion show promoting environmental sustainability by repurposing waste materials into garments.

“My fellow House Committee members encouraged me to enter and create garments because they saw the potential and creativity I possessed,” Shabalala said.

Despite having no formal fashion design training, Shabalala grew up with a passion for sewing, but never took the art form seriously until he was tasked with designing and creating outfits for the GCI competition.

“That day, my garments won first place, and my models were crowned Mr and Ms UKZN GCI Ambassadors.”

Shabalala says that day solidified his belief in his talent, as he went on to win another university GCI event before being selected as one of 10 students representing UKZN at the GCI nationals held at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS).

“Winning at the national GCI event was one of the most humbling moments of my life.

“To be recognised as the top designer among students representing universities from across the country was something I never imagined, and I feel incredibly honoured, grateful, and genuinely overwhelmed,” Shabalala said.

The 21-year-old, who hails from uMnambithi (Ladysmith), aspires to become a registered nurse while also building a career in sustainable fashion.

“Both these fields have strengthened qualities in me such as discipline, attention to detail, problem-solving, compassion, and resilience,” Shabalala said. “These qualities have shaped the way I approach fashion design and remind me that both nursing and sustainable fashion are about improving lives and making a positive impact.”

Dr Normah Zondo, Executive Director of the Corporate Relations Division, congratulated Funeka on his achievement.

“His dedication to sustainable fashion brings pride to UKZN and also serves as an inspiration to others to become responsible stewards of the environment. We look forward to witnessing the continued impact of his work in advancing sustainable solutions.

“Funeka’s work also aligns with the University’s commitment to developing socially conscious and innovative graduates who are equipped to address complex local and global challenges with practical, forward-looking solutions,” Zondo said.

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In a workshop in Lagos, a designer adjusts a seam just before sunrise. The fabric on the table carries patterns drawn from memory, culture, and ambition.

By evening, that same design enters a marketplace that stretches far beyond the room, finding its place on global runways and in wardrobes across continents.

This is how markets begin, quietly and locally, with a single idea shaped into something tangible. This is a story of design and enterprise — of how talent, when connected to capital, markets, infrastructure, and networks, becomes jobs, exports, and growth.

For years, fashion and the wider creative industries across Africa have been viewed through a cultural lens. That lens remains essential. But culture is also a source of economic power. It builds brands, drives demand, and anchors industries capable of generating jobs at scale.

The opportunity before us is to build the systems that allow fashion to function as the economic engine it can become.

That convergence is gathering pace. Creative industries generate $2.3 trillion in revenue annually and employ over 200 million people worldwide, representing 6.2% of global employment, according to UNESCO, particularly among youth aged 15–29. Yet, the sector remains underfinanced relative to its growth potential.

Within this landscape, fashion and textiles play a central role, connecting farmers to factories, designers to retailers, and local heritage to global value chains. They offer a direct pathway from SMEs and MSMEs to export-driven growth.

At IFC, we see this as one of the most compelling underfinanced growth frontiers in emerging markets. Since launching our dedicated creative industries effort in late 2022, IFC has committed close to US$1 billion across the sector, spanning audiovisual production, sports and entertainment, fashion, digital content platforms, and creative infrastructure.

This growing portfolio reflects a simple conviction: creative industries are central to development; they are investable sectors capable of creating jobs, building firms, and opening new export pathways.

The momentum is visible. In Accra, a designer who once worked from a single storefront now supplies international buyers. In Dakar, a brand rooted in African identity reaches customers across continents. In Nairobi, digital platforms allow creators to turn ideas into income in real time.

Each journey follows a similar arc: early talent, rapid demand, then a ceiling caused by weak foundations. Between creativity and scale sits a clear opportunity.

Small and medium enterprises in fashion and design often demonstrate strong revenues and clear demand while navigating constraints in accessing finance, strengthening supply chains, and building systems for expansion.

Creativity and demand continue to expand. The opportunity now lies in capturing more value within African firms—through stronger production ecosystems, expanded access to finance, robust intellectual property frameworks, and deeper links to global markets. This moment marks the transition from creativity to industrial scale—and calls for a shift in perspective.

African designers have already made a profound contribution to global fashion, particularly through the bold use of color, pattern, and textile heritage that now influences design language worldwide.

Fabrics such as kente and batik carry deep cultural meaning and strong commercial appeal, yet their value has often expanded beyond the continent without corresponding economic return to their originators. Influence has not always translated into ownership or income for African creators.

Stronger intellectual property frameworks — combined with business support, market access, and financing — are essential to ensure that cultural value becomes enterprise value. Fashion is an industry.

Creative sectors respond to capital, depend on infrastructure, and expand through networks. When structured effectively, they generate employment across entire value chains, from production and logistics to media, marketing, and retail.

At the World Bank Group and at IFC, this understanding shapes a growing commitment to fashion and the creative industries as engines of jobs and growth. The objective is clear: to help transform creative talent into investable companies, and companies into scalable platforms for jobs, exports, and long-term growth.

Through the SME Fashion Champions Program, IFC is building a pipeline of Africa’s leading export-oriented fashion and design firms, with a focus on helping high-potential firms become investment-ready and better positioned to access capital.

The program supports 30 high-potential SMEs across Morocco, Ghana, Nigeria, Madagascar, Senegal, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, and Côte d’Ivoire with tailored advisory that strengthens operations and investment readiness.

In partnership with Boston Consulting Group and leading ecosystem actors, it connects these businesses to capital, global markets, and high-impact platforms such as Paris Fashion Week and the Africa Fashion Exhibition in Paris, translating creative excellence into commercial growth and long-term investment appeal.

These firms represent the leading edge of a broader movement, where individual success stories gather strength within a larger system that multiplies their impact.

Creative industries thrive where infrastructure, skills, and market access reinforce one another. Investments in production hubs, cultural institutions, and creative clusters create environments where talent translates into sustained economic activity, connecting entrepreneurs to markets, partners, and global demand.

Financing plays a central role. Innovative mechanisms, including partnerships with financial institutions, unlock funding for creative SMEs and enable them to invest in growth.

For many creative businesses, the issue is not the lack of demand but the mismatch between traditional financing products and the ways creative firms generate revenue, build assets, and manage cash flows. This combination of capital and capability turns promising enterprises into investable businesses.

The effect is cumulative. Entrepreneurs expand production, manufacturers upgrade operations, and creators build brands that travel across borders. Digital platforms connect supply and demand in real time, reinforcing an industry that generates jobs, drives exports, and strengthens economic resilience.

Africa’s demographic trajectory adds both urgency and opportunity. A young workforce is entering the economy with creativity, digital fluency, and global ambition. Fashion and the wider creative industries offer pathways into jobs while supporting firms capable of competing on a global stage.

The focus now turns to execution, translating vision into pipelines, pipelines into investment, and investment into sustained growth. This calls for alignment among investors, policymakers, and entrepreneurs.

For young people and women in particular, creative industries can open doors to entrepreneurship, formal employment, and new sources of income across both traditional and digital value chains.

Investors should treat creative industries as a core growth asset class. Financial institutions must design products that match the cash cycles, intangible assets, and growth partners of creative SMEs.

Policymakers need to modernise intellectual property and trade frameworks to ensure value is retained on the continent.

Together, these actions define the architecture of scale.

Africa’s fashion and creative industries carry a broader promise. They offer a model where culture and commerce reinforce one another, where local enterprises grow into global brands, and where value is created, retained, and reinvested across the continent.

Across workshops, studios, and production floors, that promise is already taking shape.

Fashion has proven its creative power. The next stage calls for recognizing its full economic potential and backing it with investment that matches its ambition. Africa’s creative talent is ready.

The task now is to match that talent with the capital, infrastructure, skills, and market access required to scale.

The threads are ready. The market is ready to be woven.

Ethiopis Tafara is IFC’s Regional Vice President for Africa. This piece is part of a continuing series exploring the role of Africa’s creative industries in driving jobs, investment, and inclusive growth.

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South African banks are competing for staff who can manage digital platforms, analyse data, manage digital risk and meet regulatory requirements as more banking moves online.

A new Advanced Certificate in Digital Banking, registered at NQF Level 6, opens for enrolment at Regent Business School in the 2026 mid-year intake and gives banking professionals a direct route into roles such as Digital Services Manager, Risk and Compliance Officer, Data Analyst and Digital Banking Supervisor.

The qualification was developed by Regent Business School to close this skills gap. It carries 120 credits, runs over a minimum of one year and comprises eight modules covering digital banking, digital payment systems and e-banking services, blockchain and cryptocurrency, digital marketing for banks, data analytics, digital banking security, project management and digital transformation in banking.

Quick facts:

• Qualification: Advanced Certificate in Digital Banking

• NQF Level: 6

• Credits: 120

• Duration: Minimum one year

• Modules: Eight, including digital banking, digital payment systems and e-banking services, blockchain and cryptocurrency, digital marketing for banks, data analytics, digital banking security, project management and digital transformation in banking

• Entry requirement: NQF Level 5 qualification (for example a Higher Certificate) or equivalent

• Career pathways: Digital Services Manager, Risk and Compliance Officer, Data Analyst, Business Intelligence Analyst and Digital Banking Supervisor or Officer

• Intake: 2026 mid-year, applications open now

The qualification also opens pathways to Project or Product Manager for Digital Banking Initiatives and Customer Experience Manager roles.

Commenting on the launch, Dr Shahiem Patel, Academic Dean at Regent Business School, said: “Digital transformation is no longer a future consideration for the banking sector. It is a present reality that is changing operations, customer expectations, risk, compliance and how banks develop new ideas.

“The launch of the Advanced Certificate in Digital Banking reflects our commitment to developing relevant, industry-responsive qualifications for students and working professionals in a technology-enabled economy.

“This programme will help develop professionals who can engage confidently with digital change in banking while applying sound business, ethical and regulatory judgement.”

The qualification is designed to give students a strong understanding of digital banking concepts and tools. It also builds their ability to evaluate emerging technologies, use data and analytics for decision-making, manage risks associated with digital banking and understand the regulatory framework governing banking in South Africa.

Mr Ravin Baburam, Academic Programme Coordinator for the Advanced Certificate in Digital Banking, added: “The Advanced Certificate in Digital Banking has been designed to give students practical, relevant knowledge across core areas of modern banking.

From digital payment systems and cybersecurity to data analytics, blockchain and digital transformation, the programme provides a foundation for people who want to build careers in banking and financial services. It is suited to individuals who want to strengthen their digital skills and contribute new ideas within their organisations.”

On completion, graduates will be able to assess the impact of digital technology on banking, apply digital banking principles, manage digital banking security risks, evaluate emerging technologies and trends and contribute to digital transformation projects in the sector.

The minimum entry requirement is an NQF Level 5 qualification, such as a Higher Certificate, or an equivalent qualification.

Regent Business School said the qualification adds to its academic portfolio and reflects its focus on programmes relevant to industry needs.

Applications for the 2026 mid-year intake are now open. regent.ac.za

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Entrepreneurs, students and graduates from Soshanguve showcased their products and services, pitched innovative business ideas and connected with organisations committed to supporting entrepreneurship at the recent Youth in Business (YiB) Soshanguve Business Expo.

The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) joined Youth in Business, the City of Tshwane, the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, ABSA and other strategic partners to create opportunities that support entrepreneurship, business growth and sustainable community development.

Karabo Malapane, founder and CEO of the Youth in Business (YiB) Network, commended TUT for recognising the needs of young people in townships and committing to initiatives that create meaningful opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs.

The expo created a platform for local entrepreneurs to showcase their potential while building valuable relationships with government, business and higher education partners. It also reflected a shared commitment to strengthening entrepreneurship and creating economic growth opportunities in local communities.

Cllr Palesa Modise, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community and Social Development Services in the City of Tshwane, engaged with entrepreneurs throughout the expo.

Ntsako Mogobe, Deputy Chief Whip of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, said initiatives such as the expo help entrepreneurs access economic opportunities.

“Partnerships help us build stronger communities and a stronger local economy,” said Mogobe.

One of the highlights of the event was the ABSA-sponsored business pitching competition, where young entrepreneurs presented innovative business ideas to a panel of judges. Winners received funding to help develop and grow their businesses.

Fashion with Collen, represented by Phiwe Mzizi, won first prize of R15 000. Kasi Eats, represented by Kgolaganyo Ngoepe, secured second prize of R10 000 while Engineering Solutions, represented by Lethabo Mahlangu, received third prize of R5 000.

Dr Eric Pule, Director of Advancement and Partnerships, said the Soshanguve Business Expo demonstrates how universities and strategic partners can work together to support community development and student success.

“We equip our students with knowledge and skills enabling them to return to their communities, create opportunities and contribute to economic growth,” he said.

The partnership reflects TUT’s commitment to being an entrepreneurial university that works alongside communities to inspire innovation, support business growth and contribute to sustainable development. The expo brought together students, alumni, entrepreneurs, industry and community members to strengthen entrepreneurship and innovation in Soshanguve.

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Eunice Maeshibe Marema - a Tshwane University of Technology alumna, Senior Military Officer in the South African National Defence Force, and CEO of Maeshibe Coffee - has earned international acclaim as one of the Top International Women Entrepreneurs of the Year 2026.

She received the award in the Coffee Solutions & Social Entrepreneurship category at the International Women Awards 2026, recognising her commitment to ethical leadership, entrepreneurship and community impact.

The TUT Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (PDBA) alumna has built a reputation for using entrepreneurship to create opportunities, strengthen communities and demonstrate purpose-driven leadership.

Reflecting on her international recognition, Marema said the award confirms she is moving in the right direction as an entrepreneur and leader.

“We believe in mentorship and representation and recognitions like this give credit to the work we do in society.”

She said the award has also created new opportunities for her business by attracting international clients and showcasing South African coffee to global markets.

“This recognition demonstrates global reach and storytelling that resonates with people from all walks of life.”

Marema believes entrepreneurship is vital for addressing South Africa’s unemployment, particularly among young people aged 18 to 34.

“This means we are responsible for job creation. Government’s role is to stimulate the economy and allow start-ups to exploit those opportunities by creating jobs.”

Her latest international honour adds to an impressive list of achievements, including the Mail & Guardian Young South Africans Award in Entrepreneurship and the 40 Under 40 CEOs Award for African Economic Advancement.

Marema recently graduated with a Master of Management in Governance from the University of the Witwatersrand School of Governance, further strengthening her commitment to ethical leadership, entrepreneurship and social impact.

Story by Nhlawulo Vision Chauke was first published on the TUT website.

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Designer and illustrator Courtney Hodgson recently graduated with her BA Honours in Graphic Design at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and is already deeply embedded in her next chapter at UJ.

For Courtney, returning to university to complete her honours wasn’t a conventional step right after her undergraduate degree. Instead, it was an intentional decision fueled by real-world practice.

“Obtaining my honours represents a journey that wasn’t completely linear, which makes it even more meaningful to me. I took time away from my studies after completing my BA in 2019 to focus on building my career and my business, gaining real-world experience along the way.

So this qualification isn’t just about completing a degree, it reflects both industry experience and academic growth, and it’s given me a much clearer sense of how I want to use design in a way that has real impact,” Courtney explains.

That patience and real-world perspective fundamentally shifted how she experienced her graduation day. Reflecting on the ceremony, she shares:

“There was a real sense of anticipation leading up to it, and then a mix of relief, pride, and gratitude in the moment. Having a few years since finishing my degree made me appreciate it even more. It wasn’t just about the qualification; it felt like a celebration of the entire journey behind it. Being able to share that moment with my family made it even more special.”

During her honours year within the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA), Courtney didn’t just treat her assignments as checkboxes. By viewing every brief as a real-world opportunity, her coursework transcended the walls of the studio, taking her across the country and into professional creative spaces.

This philosophy is exactly what she urges the next generation of UJ creators to adopt from day one.

“Something important to remember is that the work you do in the classroom doesn’t have to stop there. All of my Honours projects took on a life beyond the university. Some won awards, some developed into real-world projects, and others were exhibited in galleries.

“I even had the opportunity to travel to the Eastern Cape to meet with stakeholders for a participatory design module. So treat every project as something with potential beyond just a submission. If you invest in your ideas and push them further, they can open doors you don’t expect,” she advises.

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Students from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) recently participated in the inaugural RMB Young Talent Expo, an initiative hosted by Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) that connected high-potential students with industry professionals and emerging career opportunities in the financial services sector.

Facilitated through UJ’s PsyCaD Career Services, the expo provided a valuable platform for students to engage directly with industry experts, gain first-hand insight into the evolving financial services landscape, and explore potential career pathways. The inaugural event underscored the importance of partnerships between higher education institutions and industry in preparing graduates for the future world of work.

The expo featured keynote presentations and panel discussions led by senior professionals from RMB’s Young Talent, Global Markets, Data Analytics, Information Management and Technology divisions.

Students gained practical insights into industry trends, workplace expectations and the skills required to thrive in a competitive employment environment. They also had the opportunity to network with recruiters and professionals, broadening their understanding of career opportunities within the sector.

Among those who attended was final-year BCom Information Systems student Simamkele Noludwe, who described the experience as both insightful and inspiring.

“The RMB Young Talent Expo gave me a clearer understanding of the opportunities available within the financial services industry. Hearing directly from industry leaders was both inspiring and informative,” said Noludwe.

RMB also commended the calibre of UJ students who attended the event. Vanessa Mhlanga, RMB Young Talent Specialist, praised the students’ engagement throughout the programme.

“The calibre of engagement demonstrated by UJ students was exceptional. Their curiosity, professionalism and willingness to learn reflected the quality of talent being developed at the University of Johannesburg,” she said.

For PsyCaD Career Services, the expo formed part of its ongoing commitment to equipping students with meaningful industry exposure and strengthening their employability.

Bongani Stuurman, a representative from UJ’s PsyCaD Career Services, said initiatives such as the RMB Young Talent Expo play an important role in bridging the gap between higher education and industry.

“At PsyCaD Career Services, we are committed to creating opportunities that connect students with industry and prepare them for successful careers. The RMB Young Talent Expo provided our students with meaningful exposure to industry leaders and valuable insights into the future of work,” said Stuurman.

The participation of UJ students in the inaugural RMB Young Talent Expo reflects the University’s continued commitment to preparing graduates who are industry-ready, globally competitive and equipped with the knowledge, networks and confidence to succeed in their chosen careers.

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Following the global launch of the Go Healthy with Taiwan 2026 campaign at a press conference in Taiwan on 27 May, the international initiative is now accepting proposals from innovators, startups, researchers, universities, institutions and organisations worldwide, including participants from South Africa.

South Africans are invited to leverage Taiwan’s products, technologies and business models to develop scalable health and wellness solutions that address real challenges facing communities across the country.

This year, the introduction of the Top 20 Mentorship Programme gives every finalist direct access to industry experts - creating an even stronger incentive for South African innovators, entrepreneurs and organisations to submit their ideas.

Organised by the International Trade Administration (TITA), Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan, and implemented by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the campaign is centred on the theme “Designing Healthier Futures Together.”

The initiative showcases Taiwan’s strengths in smart healthcare, medical devices, sports and fitness technology, healthy ageing and wellness, encouraging participants to apply these capabilities to communities, workplaces, educational institutions and cities around the world.

Following a highly successful inaugural campaign that exceeded its target of 100 proposals by receiving 638 submissions from 55 countries, the 2026 campaign introduces the new Top 20 Mentorship Programme to help finalists refine business models, validate market opportunities, accelerate commercialisation and strengthen international partnerships.

The impact of last year’s campaign is already evident globally. In Ukraine, the winning team successfully deployed Taiwanese medical equipment in healthcare facilities and reinvested its entire prize award to expand equipment procurement and hospital donations.

Switzerland’s Perovskia partnered with Everlight Chemical, resulting in research published in Nature, with pilot production expected in 2026. In the United States, Ideas Lab collaborated with the Taiwan Institute of Sports Science (TISS) to deploy AI-powered motion analysis technology, broadening access to professional-grade sports training.

How to Submit a Proposal

Eligible participants can submit their proposals through the official Go Healthy with Taiwan website. Proposals must be submitted in English and should outline the proposed solution, its expected impact, and how it integrates Taiwanese products, technologies, services or business models. Submissions will be evaluated according to predefined judging criteria.

Submission Details and Deadlines

• Official Website and Applications: https://gohealthy.taiwanexcellence.org/

• Submission Deadline: 5 August 2026 (23:59 GMT+8)

• Note: Applications cannot be modified after submission.

The top three winning proposals will each receive US$30,000 (R500 000) while the Top 20 finalists will receive personalised mentorship from industry experts. The six finalists will also be invited on a sponsored visit to Taiwan to engage with leading Taiwanese enterprises, experience the country’s health innovation ecosystem firsthand, and compete in the final round.

The global health sector is being transformed by artificial intelligence, preventive care and longevity-focused technologies, creating new opportunities across healthcare, education, workplace wellness, sports science and community development.

As South Africa continues to confront challenges including access to healthcare, preventative wellness, active mobility, healthy ageing and community health outcomes, the country has also emerged as a hub for innovation, entrepreneurship and social impact initiatives.

Taiwan’s proven strengths in smart healthcare, digital health technologies and systems integration provide a unique opportunity for South African innovators to develop scalable solutions with meaningful local and global impact.

Whether addressing healthcare access in underserved communities, improving wellness outcomes, supporting active lifestyles, advancing sports performance technologies or developing healthier cities and communities, Go Healthy with Taiwan 2026 offers South Africans a platform to transform bold ideas into real-world solutions through international collaboration.

For more information, please visit the official website:

https://gohealthy.taiwanexcellence.org/

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Higher education leaders from across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have taken a significant step towards strengthening entrepreneurship education through the UNIICo-Create project, which aims to develop and implement a shared entrepreneurship curriculum for undergraduate students across the region.

According to Professor Muhammad Nakhooda, Biotechnology Teaching and Learning Coordinator at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), the Technological Higher Education Network South Africa (THENSA) UNIICo-Create project is focused on creating an entrepreneurship module that can be adopted by universities across diverse SADC countries.

“The entrepreneurship curriculum we are co-creating will primarily target undergraduate students throughout the SADC region,” said Prof Nakhooda. “This means the module must respond to very diverse contexts, cultures and university systems. For that reason, a collaborative development process is essential. If we do not build it together, the project risks losing both its relevance and its ability to be successfully implemented.”

The recent UNIICo-Create workshop brought together academics and stakeholders to finalise the joint entrepreneurship module and develop a pilot implementation plan that can be rolled out across participating institutions.

Prof Nakhooda believes the collaborative approach adopted by the project is both practical and groundbreaking.

“I think that the approach we are taking is the most reasonable and realistic one. It is also a method that has not been properly undertaken for the SADC region in the past,” he said.

He noted that while graduate employability remains a key focus for universities, entrepreneurship development has become equally important in preparing young people for an increasingly dynamic labour market.

“We, and all stakeholders who are interested in and benefit from the higher education sector, fully understand the critical need for entrepreneurship, in addition to graduate employability, which tends to dominate university objectives,” he said.

Prof Nakhooda added that the diversity of perspectives represented in the workshop would contribute to the development of a comprehensive and adaptable learning resource.

“The diverse views in the room, the varying contexts and the shared vision will be instrumental in developing a very holistic and synergistic module for our universities, which we intend to be plug-and-play,” he said.

Beyond curriculum development, the project’s success will depend on effective implementation across institutions. Prof Nakhooda emphasised that universities will need to leverage existing structures, resources and support systems to ensure the module translates into meaningful outcomes for students.

“The development of the module is only one, although major, part of this project,” he said. “Implementation will require our universities to draw on all of the relevant resources and structures in place to see this to fruition.”

He also highlighted the importance of cultivating entrepreneurial thinking as a core graduate attribute, regardless of a student’s field of study or career aspirations.

“Personally, I place value on developing entrepreneurial skills and a mindset of resilience as a critical learning outcome for all undergraduate students, irrespective of discipline, and regardless of whether students become entrepreneurs or not,” said Prof Nakhooda. “These are transferable skills that apply to all aspects of life and work, making them essential attributes for graduates.”

The UNIICo-Create initiative is expected to contribute to a more innovation-driven higher education landscape across Southern Africa, equipping students with the skills, adaptability and entrepreneurial mindset needed to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

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At the USAf EDHE Entrepreneurial Executive Leadership Workshop, Kenya National Innovation Agency CEO Dr Tonny Omwansa shared how a coordinated national innovation system has positioned universities at the heart of entrepreneurship, research commercialisation and job creation—offering practical leadership and policy lessons for higher education institutions across Africa and other emerging innovation ecosystems.

Kenya’s approach to building a national innovation system is placing universities at the centre of economic transformation, with lessons that could inform strategies for higher education institutions across diverse African and global contexts, to address potential applicability concerns.

The address formed part of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Entrepreneurial Executive Leadership Workshop (EELW), a national initiative led by Universities South Africa (USAf) through the EDHE programme. The workshop brings together senior university leaders, policymakers and ecosystem partners to strengthen the leadership capabilities required to advance entrepreneurial universities in South Africa. Anchored in EDHE’s strategic focus on student entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship in teaching and learning, and the institutionalisation of entrepreneurial universities, the workshop provides a platform for examining global and African practices that enable universities to contribute more directly to innovation, economic development and societal impact. The inclusion of Kenya’s innovation journey offered delegates a practical example of how coordinated national leadership, policy alignment and institutional commitment can position universities as catalysts for entrepreneurship, innovation and job creation.

Speaking on Day 2 of the recent Universities South Africa conference, Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE), Tonny Omwansa, Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA), shared insights into how Kenya has repositioned universities beyond their traditional teaching role to become active drivers of innovation, entrepreneurship and national development.

Omwansa’s keynote, titled “National Innovation Systems and University Roles: Lessons from Kenya”, focused on how the East African nation has built a coordinated system that links universities, government, industry and finance in pursuit of high-value jobs and sustainable economic growth.

He shared with delegates that the transformation began with a fundamental question: how can a country deliberately organise its institutions to work together as a system, rather than as isolated entities? Drawing on his leadership at KeNIA, Omwansa explained that Kenya’s innovation strategy is anchored on building and managing a dynamic national system of innovation, where universities are one of key pillars namely, human Capital, access to finance, access to markets, infrastructure and policy.

“Universities are not just participants in the system,” he said. “They are the single most important stakeholder because they drive human capital, ideas, and the capacity to innovate. The keynote outlined how, over the past three years, Kenya has shifted its innovation agenda from fragmented initiatives to a structured national programme that aligns institutions toward a shared goal of wealth creation and enterprise growth. The turning point, Omwansa revealed, came when the Kenyan government repositioned the Innovation Agency from the Ministry of Education to the Office of the President, recognising that innovation cuts across all sectors, including trade, agriculture, health and industry. This move allowed the agency to operate at a national level, coordinating multiple stakeholders and ensuring that innovation policy, funding and execution were aligned across government departments.

He stated that there is no single ministry that owns innovation in Kenya; the emphasis is cross-cutting. That is why it is coordinated at the highest level.

Universities at the Core: Driving Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth

This emphasis on people has translated into a deliberate effort to transform universities into entrepreneurial institutions. Rather than measuring success purely through teaching and research, Kenyan universities are now expected to produce startups, commercialise research and contribute directly to the economy. To achieve this, the Innovation Agency introduced a structured entrepreneurial maturity framework that assesses universities on their ability to support innovation across leadership and governance, funding, infrastructure, and industry linkages.

Omwansa explained that universities initially overestimated their capabilities, rating themselves as “world-class,” only to discover, through a rigorous self- and peer-evaluation process, that most were operating at a much lower level. Following the assessments, each university develops a customised innovation master plan, co-signed by the vice-chancellor and the Innovation Agency, and implemented over a minimum period of two years. Leadership is central to Kenya’s model, with vice-chancellors seen as the most important individuals capable of driving transformation and inspiring others within the system.

Through targeted engagement and training programmes, including a six-month leadership development initiative for vice-chancellors, the agency has worked to instil a culture of entrepreneurial thinking at the highest levels of university management.

“When leaders believe in innovation, they become ambassadors,” he said. “They influence the entire institution and beyond. “Practical interventions like innovation weeks, research commercialisation support, and infrastructure development demonstrate how targeted actions can strengthen university ecosystems and inspire similar initiatives elsewhere. These efforts aim to ensure that universities not only generate knowledge but also translate it into economic value.”When leaders believe in innovation, they become ambassadors,” he said. “They influence the entire institution and beyond. “Practical interventions like innovation weeks, research commercialisation support, and infrastructure development demonstrate how targeted actions can strengthen university ecosystems and inspire similar initiatives elsewhere. These efforts aim to ensure that universities not only generate knowledge but also translate it into economic value.

At the core of Kenya’s model is a 10-year innovation master plan that creates a shared language and framework for all stakeholders. The plan focuses on five key inputs: human capital development, access to infrastructure, markets, finance and a supportive policy environment. Omwansa stressed that human capital development, particularly within universities, has become the foundation of the system.

“If you build the capacity of people effectively,” he said, “they will find funding, they will build partnerships, and they will create opportunities. Everything else follows.”

Lessons for Africa’s Higher Education Systems

Omwansa illustrated the complexity of building such a system by comparing it to the human body, where different components must function individually yet work together harmoniously.

“If the brain is saying go south, the legs are going east, and the eyes are looking west, there is a crisis,” he explained. “Our job is to ensure that all parts of the system are aligned.” Kenya’s experience shows that effective coordination is vital; even well-designed policies can fail without a shared vision, encouraging stakeholders to work together towards common goals.

He also highlighted the need to shift mindsets within universities, encouraging academics and administrators to see themselves not just as educators but as entrepreneurial leaders capable of identifying and nurturing opportunities. “It is difficult to give what you do not have,” he said. “If you do not see yourself as an innovator or entrepreneur, how will you develop that in your students?” The keynote also addressed challenges, particularly the rigidity of institutional systems and resistance to change, which may be more pronounced in resource-constrained environments or institutions with entrenched governance structures, highlighting the need for tailored change management strategies. Despite these hurdles, he said progress has been significant, with more than 25 universities now participating in the programme and measurable improvements already visible in their innovation capacity.

For South African institutions, Omwansa’s message was clear: building an effective innovation ecosystem requires deliberate design, strong leadership and a shared commitment across sectors. In concluding his address, Omwansa emphasised that the ultimate measure of success is not policy documents or institutional rankings, but real economic outcomes and job creation.

Gcina Nhleko is Corporate Communications Manager at Universities South Africa (USAf).

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Africa’s commuter rail future took centre stage in Johannesburg, with the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in partnership with the International Union of Railways (UIC) hosting the inaugural African Commuter and Regional Train Services (CRTS) Training.

Global experts convened at the meeting to advance rail innovation, safety, passenger experience and modernisation for sustainable and reliable rail systems across the continent.

During the three-day programme, railway operators, manufacturers, academics and industry experts from across Africa and beyond shared knowledge, strengthened partnerships and explored solutions for sustainable, reliable and passenger-focused rail systems.

Prof Mxolisi Shongwe, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at TUT, opened the programme and said bringing CRTS Training to Africa after eight successful editions in Europe is a significant milestone for TUT and Africa. He added that the initiative reflects growing recognition of Africa’s role in rail development.

“It signals a recognition that the future of rail development is closely connected to Africa’s growth and transformation,” he said.

Prof Shongwe added that hosting the programme on the continent created space to address Africa’s railway realities.

“It gives us the opportunity to focus on the realities of our own railway systems, the opportunities we can unlock, the challenges we must overcome and the unique social and economic contexts in which we operate.”

According to Prof Shongwe, the training aligns with the Gibela Research Chair in Manufacturing and Skills Development, which supports local industrial capability, skills development and a sustainable rail manufacturing ecosystem across Africa.

Day one focused on industry challenges and technological innovations shaping the rail sector. Dr Grigore Havarneanu, Director of Security at UIC, distinguished between safety and security in railway operations and explained that safety relates to technical failure and human error, while security involves deliberate threats and attacks.

He stressed that both physical security measures and passenger perceptions of safety remain critical, while adding that building trust among commuters depends on creating environments where passengers feel safe.

“Building trust among commuters starts with creating railway environments where passengers genuinely feel safe,” he said highlighting CCTV systems access control environmental design and trained personnel.

Nompumelelo Mncwabe, Head of Continuous Improvement at Transnet Engineering, called for modernisation of ageing rail infrastructure and highlighted challenges, including deteriorating systems signalling failures, unreliable electrical networks, theft, vandalism and rising maintenance costs.

“Rail modernisation is now a national economic priority. Strategic investment stronger security interventions and skills development are essential if we are to restore reliable and affordable commuter rail services,” said Mncwabe.

Vuyiswa Tlomatsane, Service Operations Executive at Gibela Rail Transport Consortium, explained the challenge of integrating modern fleets with ageing infrastructure while building local skills to reduce reliance on international suppliers.

She emphasised joint recovery initiatives with customers to improve commuter rail services, optimise operations and strengthen maintenance systems. She also highlighted the importance of developing local expertise to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.

On day two, the focus shifted to passengers during a Design Thinking Session on the Metrorail Western Cape network. Participants role-played different commuter profiles including students, young professionals, tourists and persons with disabilities to better understand travel experiences and develop solutions for safer more reliable and inclusive rail travel.

Vanessa Pérez, Senior Advisor for Customer Experience and Accessibility in the Passenger Department at UIC, discussed how tourism sustainability and digital innovation are reshaping rail travel. She noted rising demand among younger travellers for eco-friendly options, seamless multimodal journeys and digital experiences. Pérez urged operators to use social media and new technologies to attract modern travellers and boost rail tourism.

Maria Gusarova, Senior Advisor in the Passenger Department at UIC, emphasised the importance of passenger-centred station design and community-oriented infrastructure.

“Railway stations are not only transport hubs but also community and economic centres,” she said.

Using examples from Paris, she showed how childcare centres, retail outlets, medical facilities and improved security can transform stations into destinations that better serve local needs.

Closing the programme, Kaparo Molefi, Executive Manager for Engineering at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), said commuters remain central to recovery and modernisation efforts.

He added that 321 of PRASA’s 495 stations are operational and that flagship stations are undergoing upgrades under broader station improvement and precinct development programmes.

The next CRTS Training will take place in Barcelona Spain from 28 to 30 October 2026.

Story by By Mosima Rafapa first appeared on the TUT Website.

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A Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) student and graduate has secured R100 000 in funding after leading his team to victory at Huawei Code4Mzansi. Their innovation, KasiBusket, won the People’s Choice Award for its digital solution that helps spaza shops and small businesses participate in the digital economy while strengthening township economies.

At just 20 years old, Tshegofatso Morena has added the title of award-winning entrepreneur to his growing list of achievements. The Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE) student led his team to victory at the Huawei Code4Mzansi competition in May, where their innovation, KasiBusket, won the People’s Choice Award and secured R100 000 in funding support.

Morena, Chief Executive Officer of DevRift, led the team behind KasiBusket together with developer Kgodiso Lebese, a Diploma in Computer Systems student at TUT and developer Tebogo Seopa, who is pursuing a BSc Honours in Computer Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand.

The Huawei Code4Mzansi competition challenges students and emerging entrepreneurs to develop technology-driven solutions that address real-world problems. Participants pitch their innovations to industry experts while competing in categories that recognise innovation, business value and social impact.

Designed to support township economies, KasiBusket enables spaza shops and small businesses to participate in the digital economy. The platform connects customers, shop owners and delivery riders through a single ecosystem. Users can browse products from nearby spaza shops, place orders and receive deliveries, while businesses manage inventory, transactions and customer engagement digitally.

Morena said the idea emerged from a familiar reality in many communities.

“The inspiration came from something we all grew up seeing, spaza shops that are deeply embedded in our communities but completely invisible to the digital economy.

“South Africa has more than 200 000 informal spaza shops and virtually none of them have a meaningful digital presence. We looked at that reality and asked why the corner spaza shop should be left out of the same digital revolution transforming retail everywhere else.”

The platform incorporates digital inventory management, logistics coordination and a dynamic credit system aimed at expanding economic participation for underserved communities.

According to Morena, KasiBusket reflects TUT’s vision of entrepreneuring the future together.

“TUT has always emphasised that education should produce people who create opportunities, not just pursue them. Building KasiBusket while studying at TUT felt like putting that principle into practice in real time,” he said.

Morena believes entrepreneurship plays an important role in addressing South Africa’s unemployment challenge.

“The formal economy alone cannot absorb the number of young people entering the workforce each year. Entrepreneurship is one of the most realistic paths to creating opportunities at the scale required. Young entrepreneurs build solutions rooted in the realities of the communities they come from,” he said.

Morena said winning the People’s Choice Award carried special significance because it reflected public confidence in the innovation.

“Winning the People’s Choice Award meant that ordinary people, not just industry experts, looked at KasiBusket and chose us above everyone else. The funding is significant, but the validation that people believe in what we are building means even more.”

Morena said the team will use the R100 000 funding to strengthen platform development, enhance cloud infrastructure, complete key features and support pilot testing with spaza shop owners and community members ahead of launching.

The team’s innovation also attracted the attention of Small Business Development Minister, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, who expressed he interest to engage further with the project during the event.

Morena said strong communication and leadership skills contributed significantly to the team’s success.

Our achievement highlights the importance of communication, leadership and presentation skills within innovation and engineering spaces. The success of our presentation was significantly influenced by my background in public speaking, which I have actively pursued for the past 13 years since the age of eight.”

Morena was among the youngest graduates from the Department of Electrical Engineering during TUT’s Autumn graduation ceremonies in May and is currently pursuing an Advanced Diploma in Electrical Engineering.

Looking ahead, the team aims to establish KasiBusket as a leading digital commerce platform for township economies across South Africa before expanding into other African markets.

Feature by By Mosima Rafapa first appeared on the TUT website.

©Higher Education Media Services.

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Schneider Electric, in partnership with Enactus, is reflecting on two years of successful collaboration across Sub-Saharan Africa, advancing youth entrepreneurship, sustainable energy innovation, and measurable community impact.

From 2024-25, the partnership engaged more than 32,000 students across South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe, equipping young leaders with the skills, mentorship, and funding to design and scale practical solutions addressing Africa’s energy and sustainability challenges.

The collaboration spans three core initiatives:

• The Enactus Core Programme (funded by the Schneider Electric Foundation), including National Expositions in Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria, with national winners progressing to the Enactus World Championship.

• The Energy Transition Battery Innovation Challenge (funded by the Schneider Electric Foundation), delivered in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.

• A Mentorship Programme in Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria, connecting Enactus students with Schneider Electric technical and business experts.

Together, these initiatives bridged academia and industry, turning student ideas into commercially viable, socially impactful enterprises.

“Our collaboration with Enactus demonstrated the power of youth-driven innovation to deliver real, scalable impact, with a pipeline of future leaders shaping Africa’s sustainable energy landscape.” says Elihle Obi, Global Marketing Director, Sub-Saharan Africa at Schneider Electric

“Enactus students continue to prove what’s possible when purpose meets opportunity. Our partnership with Schneider Electric demonstrated how industry and education can work together to unlock lasting impact,” says Letitia de Wet, CEO of Enactus South Africa.

From concept to commercial reality

The success of the Schneider Electric and Enactus’ partnership is reflected in the continued growth of its 2024 Battery Innovation winning teams:

Zimbabwe: Bindura University of Science Education’s project evolved from CaLIX into VoltStep, a micro-battery solution harvesting kinetic energy through piezoelectric technology. Within one year, VoltStep sold over 8,000 pairs of energy-generating shoes, generated USD 104,910 in revenue, delivered lighting access to 892 rural students, and reduced household lighting costs by up to 65%. The team also secured second place at the 2025 Enactus World Cup.

Kenya: Afterlife, the national winning team, repurposes and recycles end-of-life batteries for second-life energy applications. The venture is now a registered company, has received international design recognition, and is contributing to national dialogue on circular economy innovation.

Nigeria: Originally launched as Repo, the solution has since scaled into Ecovolt, a clean energy system built from recycled e-waste. Ecovolt has created 20 youth jobs, sold 40 units, and currently has 55 additional units on order, supporting households and small businesses.

South Africa: Airnergy & Tech Solutions, a third-place winner, has successfully commercialised ElectroBoost300, a 300W portable lithium-based power station now available on Takealot, expanding reliable energy access for homes, students, and small enterprises.

South Africa doesn’t have a mentorship shortage. If anything, there’s no lack of people willing to offer advice. What we do have is a shortage of people prepared to genuinely invest — to open up their world, share their networks, and back someone who doesn’t yet have the access to back themselves.

That distinction matters more than we often admit.

Advice is easy to give. What truly alters the course of a career — or a life — is far more specific: someone with influence choosing to use it on your behalf. Someone who brings you into the room, positions you as capable before you’ve fully proved it, and holds you to a standard that stretches you until you grow into it.

Most people who reach meaningful leadership positions can point to one or two individuals who made that possible. Not institutions. Not programmes. People.

The real question, particularly for those who’ve already made it, is how deliberately — and how often — they’re playing that role for someone else.

In my work as a coach, I see the same pattern repeatedly. Talented people stall. Not because they lack intelligence or work ethic, but because they don’t have a map for the environments they’re trying to enter.

They hold the qualifications, yet hesitate to fully step into them. They find themselves in rooms they’ve earned, and still feel as though they don’t quite belong.

That gap is rarely about competence. More often, it comes down to exposure, access, and whether anyone has ever truly backed them.

Formal education doesn’t close that gap. A postgraduate degree gives you knowledge, but it doesn’t teach executive presence, the instinct to read a room, or the composure that comes from navigating high-stakes environments alongside someone who models it well.

Those things are transferred person to person, through sustained, intentional relationships. There’s no shortcut, and no curriculum that can replicate it.

I’ve seen this in my work, and I’ve lived it myself.

I grew up in Soweto, moving between under-resourced township schools before eventually entering better-resourced ones, where it quickly became clear how much ground I had to cover. I repeated grades. My confidence took strain. What I lacked wasn’t ability — it was exposure.

The kind that quietly teaches you how to carry yourself in environments you’ve never seen up close. I built up qualifications, entered the working world, and still walked into boardrooms feeling as though I was performing confidence rather than owning it.

What changed that wasn’t another qualification or course. It was one person, early in my career, who chose to open their world to me — who shared their network, put me in front of rooms I hadn’t yet earned on paper, and held me to a standard I had to grow into. That relationship shifted the material direction of my life in ways I’m still building on.

I share this not to romanticise it, but because it’s replicable. What that person did wasn’t extraordinary in terms of effort or resource. It was intentional. And right now, intention is what’s in shortest supply.

This is where many leaders hold themselves back. Mentorship — especially across the lines of race, class, and professional networks that still shape much of South African working life — is often seen as generous, admirable, but ultimately optional.

It isn’t.

When you bring a capable person into your world, you don’t just change their trajectory — you expand your own. You build trust across networks that would otherwise remain closed.

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You develop people who will, in time, create opportunities for others. The return is real, and it compounds — across organisations, industries, and ultimately an economy that cannot afford to leave talent on the table.

The opportunities many leaders are looking for are often just one or two relationships away. But those relationships require a willingness to move beyond the familiar — beyond the networks you already know, the spaces where you’re comfortable, the people who already look and sound like you.

In the leadership and networking spaces I facilitate, I often come back to a simple idea: when familiarity grows across difference, trust follows. And where there is trust, meaningful collaboration becomes possible. That’s not idealism — it’s how healthy ecosystems function.

South Africa doesn’t need more conversations about transformation. It needs more people practising it, one deliberate relationship at a time.

Right now, somewhere in this country, there’s someone with the drive, ability and hunger to succeed — but they’re stuck, because no one with influence has chosen to back them.

Multiply that across thousands of people, across years, and the cost becomes impossible to ignore. It shows up in businesses that never scale, leaders who never emerge, and potential that either leaves or never fully materialises.

This kind of investment works. The harder question is whether you’re doing it — and whether you’re doing it with enough intention to truly make a difference.

Sakhile Mkwanazi is a coach at Grow.

©Higher Education Media Services.

Mpho Malesa (Director) and the cast from the Tshwane University of Technology’s Department of Performing Arts are proud to present On Air, a play that promises to entertain and engage audiences with its focus on censorship.

On Air follows a fearless radio journalist whose career is built on exposing the truth and holding those in power to account through her national broadcasts.

However, the very platform that amplifies her voice becomes increasingly controlled, as overt and subtle censorship begins to dictate what can be said.

The play explores the tension between freedom of expression and institutional pressure, revealing the personal and professional risks faced by those who refuse to remain silent. Structured across three radio segments – morning, lunchtime and drive time – the narrative shifts from light-hearted, entertaining broadcasts to politically charged discussions, ultimately culminating in a moment of crisis.

As restrictions tighten, the studio transforms into a battleground where truth is negotiated and suppressed.

In a final act of defiance, the host chooses to speak openly, regardless of the consequences, triggering a dramatic collapse of control.

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By blending theatrical performance with the sonic language of radio, On Air becomes a powerful reflection on voice, power and the cost of truth in a censored world.

The Breytenbach Theatre is located at 137 Gerard Moerdyk Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria.

TICKETS: R40
Free for students on 23 April 2026 at 18:00.

MORE INFORMATION: 012 3822630 or nohesinn@tut.ac.za

The story was first published in Tshwane University of Technology website.

©Higher Education Media Services.

Across South Africa and beyond, seasoned executives and mid-career professionals are increasingly looking past the traditional corporate ladder, seeking instead to build something of their own.

This surge in entrepreneurial spirit is fuelled by a desire for autonomy, the potential for significant economic impact and a digital environment that has lowered the barriers to entry.

In 2026, the “side hustle” has evolved into a sophisticated career pivot, where the goal is no longer supplemental income but the creation of generational wealth and meaningful change.

However, a sobering reality remains: while a brilliant idea provides the spark, it is rarely enough to keep the fire burning. The transition from a visionary concept to a profitable, sustainable enterprise is complex and fraught with structural challenges.

The “hero-founder” myth – the idea that raw intuition and grit are the only requirements for success – must be replaced by a more robust framework. Sustainable success requires a fusion of creative thinking and formal strategic knowledge.

The Knowledge Gap: Why Ideas Falter

Most businesses do not fail because the initial idea lacked merit. In South Africa, where unemployment rates remain a significant challenge and unique socio-economic pressures compound infrastructure gaps, the failure rate of new businesses is particularly stark. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of the economy, yet too many collapse within their first few years.

This pattern is not unique to South Africa. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that approximately 20% of new businesses fail within their first two years, and nearly 45% fail within the first five. The culprit is seldom a lack of passion. More often, it is a knowledge gap in the fundamental mechanics of business scaling.

Entrepreneurs frequently fall into the trap of “product-centric” thinking, focusing entirely on the features of their offering while neglecting the structural pillars of a company.

Without a background in operational discipline or financial literacy, founders often struggle with cash flow management – misunderstanding the timing of inflows and outflows; regulatory compliance – particularly the complex legal requirements of South Africa’s labour and tax environment; and market positioning – failing to differentiate a product in a saturated digital marketplace.

In an increasingly volatile global economy, relying solely on instinct is a high-risk strategy. Formal education serves as a critical intervention, providing the stress test necessary to identify flaws in a business model before they become fatal.

Strengthening the Foundation Through Structured Learning

Formal business education equips aspiring entrepreneurs with a toolkit designed to reduce risk and maximise resource efficiency. While experience is a powerful teacher, its lessons are often expensive and retroactive. In contrast, structured learning offers a proactive environment to master several key capabilities.

Financial Acumen and Unit Economics

Beyond basic accounting, education provides a deep understanding of capital structure, burn rates and unit economics. Understanding how to manage a balance sheet is often the difference between a venture that scales and one that collapses under its own weight.

Many founders confuse “revenue” with “profitability.” Academic rigour teaches a founder to examine Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) against the Lifetime Value (LTV) of a client – the true metric of long-term viability.

Market Analysis and Strategic Positioning

Education moves a founder from guessing what the market wants to knowing how to analyse consumer behaviour. It provides established frameworks – such as Porter’s Five Forces or SWOT analyses – to identify a unique value proposition and defend it against competitors. In the age of AI and big data, the ability to synthesise market intelligence into a coherent strategy is an essential skill.

Risk Evaluation and Mitigation

One of the most significant benefits of business school programmes is learning to distinguish between gambling and calculated risk. Entrepreneurs learn to build contingency plans and manage the legal complexities of modern commerce, including understanding Intellectual Property (IP) protection – a consideration of particular importance for tech-driven startups looking to attract venture capital.

As the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report notes, analytical thinking and strategic resource management remain among the most prioritised skills for the modern workforce. For the entrepreneur, these are not merely desirable qualities – they are survival mechanisms.

From Concept to Commercial Viability: The CEO Mindset

The shift from a sketch on a napkin to a commercial entity requires a transition from thinking like an inventor to thinking like a CEO. An inventor focuses on how a product works; a CEO focuses on how the company works.

Structured education facilitates this evolution by compelling founders to evaluate their ideas through a lens of scalability. Through rigorous academic discipline, an entrepreneur learns to ask the hard questions: whether the business model can grow its revenue without a proportional increase in costs; whether the supply chain can withstand global shocks or local logistical failures; and whether the venture has a leadership framework in place to attract talent and build a high-performing culture.

By applying these frameworks, founders can refine their models, ensuring they are building a business designed for sustainable growth rather than one that relies on a single moment of luck.

Intrapreneurship: Driving Change From Within

The value of entrepreneurial education extends far beyond those starting their own firms. There is a growing demand for “intrapreneurship” – the application of entrepreneurial thinking within established organisations.

HR managers and business leaders are increasingly recognising that the same skills required to launch a startup – leadership, strategic agility and creative problem-solving – are essential for driving growth within a corporate structure.

By investing in structured educational pathways for their employees, organisations build a culture of ownership and forward-thinking. This not only drives internal progress but also prepares the workforce for the disruptions of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In this context, business education acts as a bridge, aligning individual career development with organisational longevity. Large-scale enterprises that fail to adapt often do so because their leadership lacks the entrepreneurial capacity to pivot in response to market changes.

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Creating Opportunity and Economic Impact

At its core, the marriage of education and entrepreneurship is about opportunity creation. On an individual level, it empowers professionals to pivot their careers with confidence, backed by a credible foundation of knowledge. On a broader level, it contributes to economic stability.

In South Africa, the importance of this cannot be overstated. With unemployment rates remaining a persistent challenge, the move towards professionalised entrepreneurship is a national imperative.

Educated entrepreneurs are more likely to hire and manage teams well, creating jobs in communities that need them most. Sustainable businesses provide the tax base necessary for public infrastructure.

And a growing number of modern entrepreneurs are applying business logic to solve community problems such as energy scarcity and educational access – proving that commercial success and social impact are not mutually exclusive.

When we professionalise entrepreneurship through education, we move away from a “survivalist” economy – where people start businesses out of desperation – towards one defined by sophisticated, high-growth enterprises that can compete on the global stage.

The Enduring Enterprise

The surge of entrepreneurial ambition we see today reflects a powerful human drive to create and contribute. Yet the bridge between a promising idea and a lasting legacy is built with knowledge, discipline and strategic foresight.

Aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals considering a transition should view education not as a detour but as a strategic accelerator. By embracing formal business learning, they gain more than a qualification – they gain the competence to manage complexity and the confidence to turn their vision into a sustainable reality.

The most successful businesses are those built to last, led by individuals who understand that while passion starts the race, knowledge finishes it. Building a profitable and sustainable business is not a matter of chance – it is a matter of education.

Serame Ramosajana is a Chartered Accountant (SA) and serves as the Head of School at Regent Business School.

©Higher Education Media Services.

Samsung in collaboration with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) is running an Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (EEIP) Service Centre campaign - an extension of last year’s initiative and a call encouraging more suitable, black-owned Service Centre enterprises to apply for participation in the Enterprise Development (ED) programme.

Last year’s campaign was a broad invitation to small and medium-sized (SME) enterprises operating within the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Service Centre space to apply for funding.

While the ICT category received a sufficient number of applications – there is a need to focus exclusively on Service Centres and encourage more eligible SMEs in this category to participate in this year’s campaign.

The 2026 campaign is trying to increase the number of service centre participants in this ED programme and is now focusing on black-owned SMEs but targeting mainly underserved provinces.

It is therefore looking for skilled service centre entrepreneurs with a minimum of three (3) years experience in mobile device and/or consumer electronic repairs. The main aim of this Samsung EEIP ED programme is to assist SMEs to operate suitably funded accredited service centres in an urban or peri-urban area with sufficient retail footprint.

Samsung is well aware of the government’s NDP Vision 2030 (National Development Plan) targets and the critical role that the SME sector can play in job creation in the country.

In her keynote address at the JSE SME Rise Capital Matching Initiative conference, the Minister of Small Business Development highlighted that the NDP Vision 2030 has set a target of generating 11 million jobs by 2030, with small businesses projected to account for over 9 million of those employment opportunities.

And, in order for the government to achieve its ambitious employment goals – there is a need for such EEIP ED programmes aimed at ensuring sustainable growth of businesses in the SME space that will result in economic growth and lead to job creation.

Nicky Beukes, Samsung EEIP Project Manager said: “As Samsung, we understand the number of challenges that affect the growth of local SME Service Centres in the small to medium-term. This ED programme is there to ensure that we bring positive change to more eligible entrepreneurs with experience in the Service Centre market.

“As a company, we are committed to enhancing empowerment and ICT entrepreneurship development that will stimulate job creation. Ultimately, the aim of this year’s EEIP Service Centre campaign is to contribute to the growth of the participating service centres that will lead to job creation and economic growth.”

Some of the immediate challenges experienced by these service centre SMEs include competition resulting in reduced volumes as well as vertical integration of operations from big players. In addition, the improved quality of electronics in general - results in longer time-frames before any breakdown thereby reducing the need for repair services provided by service centres.

And, in South Africa, it is a well-known fact that the service centre industry is extremely competitive and it can take a number of years before profitability is reached. The fact is that sustainable volumes are required to ensure future success of the service centres. The funding support from this ED programme can assist service centre entrepreneurs to overcome some of these challenges.

Besides the funding element, successful participation in this year’s service centre campaign means that eligible SMEs can now have access to supply chain processes that can contribute to their repair volumes as well as specialised equipment and access to genuine parts.

They also have an opportunity to receive full accreditation from an OEM and these benefits combined - can provide these small and medium enterprises with the ability to compete efficiently.

Beukes emphasised: “By participating in this campaign, you could also be one of the selected entrepreneurs with grant-funding to support operations, receive specialist business development support and have access to Samsung’s service repair network.”

How to Apply

If you are a talented service centre business with growth potential, the opportunity you have been waiting for has arrived. Samsung can help by empowering you to ignite and grow your service centre business. You could receive grant funding to capitalise the business and gain access to specialist business development support services. To learn more about the criteria for qualification as well as information on how to enter, please click on this link - https://www.samsung.com/za/local-programme/ed-programme/

©Higher Education Media Services.

The Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA) has responded to the government’s promise of an estimated R2.5 billion to support more than 180 000 small and medium enterprises by sponsoring several SMME’s to be part of Africa Energy Indaba 2026 where they showcased their energy solutions.

The initiative forms part of the Energy Industry Support Programme implemented in partnership with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Participation in the Africa Energy Indaba, also highlighted how skills development and enterprise support are contributing to South Africa’s Just Energy Transition, EWSETA said in a statement.

EWSETA said it has been estimated that if each of these SMME’s employed just one additional person, up to three million new jobs could be created

This national focus aligns with EWSETA’s work to place new entrants in SMMEs, strengthening their skills capacity and participation in the energy economy, it said.

“By sponsoring these enterprises to attend the Africa Energy Indaba, EWSETA created an opportunity for them to present their technologies, connect with potential clients and investors, and engage with government and industry stakeholders who play an important role in enterprise growth”.

The enterprises that participated are:

• Sol4Africa, represented by Pheladi Chiloane, which developed the SolaGeyzer, a portable solar thermal water heating solution designed for communities where conventional solar geysers cannot be installed.

• LC Dynamics, represented by Lisa Von Benecke, showcased its solar blinds technology, a building-integrated photovoltaic solution designed to generate electricity while improving energy efficiency in commercial buildings.

• Empower Sustainable Energy, represented by Ayanda Nkomo, who focuses on delivering renewable energy access in underserved and off-grid communities through microgrids, storage systems and smart energy solutions.

• Lamo Solar, represented by Tshibvumo Sikhwivhilu. The business is a black-owned Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) firm delivering solar and storage solutions across residential, commercial and industrial markets

EWSETA also contributed to the conference programme through a deep dive session titled Empowering Energy SMMEs for South Africa’s Just Energy Transition: Innovation, Market Access and Skills for Scale.

The session was facilitated by Candice Moodley, Corporate Services Executive at EWSETA, and explored how technical validation, skills pipelines and market access can help energy SMMEs scale their innovations.

EWSETA’s leadership played an active role in shaping critical discussions at the African Energy Indaba contributing insights on workforce development and the skills required to support Africa’s evolving energy landscape.

EWSETA Acting CEO, Robyn Vilakazi, participated in a panel discussion titled “Tapping into the Human Resource to Support the Energy Sector Transition.” During the session, she emphasised the importance of coordinated partnerships to ensure that the workforce is equipped for the opportunities emerging from the continent’s energy transition.

“As the energy transition unfolds, we continue to drive collaboration between industry, government, communities and training institutions to ensure that South Africans – and the broader African workforce – can participate meaningfully in the opportunities emerging across the sector,” said Vilakazi.

EWSETA’s Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Executive, Teslim Mohammed Yusuf, also contributed to discussions through his participation in the Nuclear Forum panel “Driving Nuclear Safety, Localisation and Workforce Development for Nuclear Build Programmes in Africa”.

“He highlighted the transformative impact that South Africa’s planned nuclear build programme can have on both energy security and skills development.

“A nuclear build programme represents not only an energy investment, but a major economic and human capital transformation. Ensuring a specialised skills pipeline – particularly for nuclear mechanical and electrical artisans, as well as graduates in nuclear science and engineering, will be critical to supporting future nuclear projects across the continent,” said Yusuf.

EWSETA’s collaboration with the CSIR continues to strengthen this ecosystem. The partnership recently received additional support through a €2 million investment from the European Union aimed at strengthening South Africa’s capacity to align skills development, technology innovation and enterprise growth within the energy transition.

The funding will support a national initiative focused on advancing beneficiation as a key objective, by aligning vocational training with real employment opportunities across mining, mineral processing and battery value chains, with EWSETA playing a central role in embedding these interventions within the national skills system.

“EWSETA’s support in enabling Lamo Solar to participate in the Africa Energy Indaba created an important platform for us to engage with leaders shaping Africa’s energy future. As a South African renewable energy SMME working to expand clean and reliable power solutions, opportunities like this help us build strategic partnerships, share innovation and accelerate progress toward universal energy access.

“We commend EWSETA for empowering local enterprises to actively contribute to the country’s energy transition,” said Tshibvumo Sikhwivhilu, a representative from Lamo Solar.

EWSETA remains committed to strengthening SMME participation across the energy value chain while developing the technical skills needed to support sustainable growth in South Africa’s energy sector.

©Higher Education Media Services

March is recognised internationally as Women’s Month and in South Africa entrepreneur and founder of sportswear - abOVEnormal, Masingita Masunga, is inviting all “successful women” to invest in the future generation of young footballers by buying them proper football boots - in celebration of women in sports.

Dubbed Walk In My Shoes - the initiative seeks to equip young athletes with the tools they need to perform, compete and believe in themselves, says Masunga.

How the initiative works, is for a sponsor to buy a pair of abOVEnormal soccer boots at a cost of R600 a pair. The pair is then signed by a soccer legend or coach, with personal messages of encouragement, before it is donated to a woman footballer in need.

“As South Africa celebrates 30 years since the historic victory at the 1996 African Cup of Nations, won by Bafana Bafana, we must ensure the next generation is ready to carry the dream forward. One pair of boots can change the future,” Masunga says.

Those wishing to participate can go on www.abOVEnormal.africa or call 0725162675.

©Higher Education Media Services.

The CEO of the Technological Higher Education Network South Africa (THENSA), Professor Henk de Jager, has high hopes about changing the gloomy narrative around unemployment in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

De Jager is optimistic about the potential of the groundbreaking University-Industry Co-Creation (UNIICo-create) project, launched in Johannesburg at the end of March. He believes it can effectively address the pressing challenges of low job creation, limited start-up success and graduate unemployment, offering a beacon of hope for the future of entrepreneurship education in the SADC region.

A group of tertiary education institutions based in the SADC region convened in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 24 to 28 March to initiate the co-creation of a curriculum as part of the UNIICo-create project. Their mission is to collaboratively design a curriculum that will revolutionise entrepreneurship education in the region.

This article is published in partnership with the Technological Higher Education Network South Africa (THENSA) to focus on the University-Industry Co-Creation, or UNIICo-create, project. Funded by the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education programme, the project involves stakeholders who aim to transform entrepreneurship through higher education. University World News is solely responsible for the editorial content.

Participating institutions

The strategic partnership between eight institutions in South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia and Eswatini brought together representatives from several higher education organisations in the region as well as representatives from Finland, France, Ireland and Malaysia.

They are Universities South Africa, or USAf, which represents all public universities in South Africa; the South African Qualifications Authority; the Namibian Ministry of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation; the Namibia University of Science and Technology; the University of Namibia; the University of Montpellier, France; Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Finland; Trinity College, Dublin; Lerotholi Polytechnic, Lesotho; the National University of Lesotho; Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Malaysia; as well as Stellenbosch University and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa.

The project is funded by the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education programme, a European Union (EU) initiative that supports the modernisation, accessibility and internationalisation of higher education in partner countries. This funding enables the collaboration between the SADC region and the EU, bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise.

De Jager emphasises that the UNIICo-create project is a testament to the power of unity as all the partners form part of a larger initiative to transform the region’s entrepreneurship education.

He explained to University World News how the project aims to become a game-changer through collaboration – a concept he believes can ultimately be emulated and shared beyond the initiative.

UWN: What does this initiative mean in terms of opportunities and skills for students?

HdJ: We are aware of the current economic challenges within the SADC region. Examining the unemployment rate for the region reveals an approximate rate of 12% while, for South Africa, it’s around 32%.

Still, I think a more significant challenge for us is that the youth unemployment in the SADC is approximately 20%. In contrast, South Africa’s unemployment rate is approximately 45%.

If we are graduating students from our universities and the economy is not growing, where will they find jobs? It is for this reason that we have many unemployed graduates currently in South Africa, as well as in countries in the SADC region.

We must instil entrepreneurial skills in our students. UNIICo-create will, therefore, unite experts across the SADC and globally, ensuring that we enhance the entrepreneurial mindsets of our students to prepare them for the world of work, particularly for the business world.

This is so that they will have the confidence and skills to start their own businesses, as well as develop their ideas into viable opportunities, enabling them to make a meaningful contribution to society.

UWN: What impact will the co-creation of the curriculum for entrepreneurs have on students?

HdJ: We are privileged to have numerous partners involved in the European Union supporting the UNIICo-create project and experts from four SADC countries: Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini and South Africa.

The SADC secretariat, as the regional coordinating body, plays a key role in ensuring that the project aligns with the region’s development goals. We also have the Southern African Regional Universities Association, or SARUA, as a partner, leveraging their expertise and network to ensure the project’s success.

If you look at the expertise [at the gathering in Johannesburg], then one would realise what great benefits there are to ensure that we co-create the curriculum for entrepreneurs, bringing together a pool of university and education ministry experts because they know precisely what challenges their particular country is facing, and to ensure that, even if it is a generic entrepreneurial curriculum, there will be very specific, custom-made snippets of the curricula that are talking to the context of that particular country.

UWN: How does this change the learning model for SADC countries?

HdJ: What is unique about this is that the ministries of education are playing a key role in co-creating the curricula and executing this project as part of a team. It is for this reason that the ministries are involved, and they are responsible for policy reform, policy imperatives and policy changes.

Now that they are part of this team, they will be able to drive this change in the learning model of our Southern African countries jointly, which we can later expand to other countries that are not [yet] part of this project.

UWN: What is the current situation for students, and how can such a programme affect the kind of change needed to grow an entrepreneurial culture?

HdJ: What is essential is to infuse entrepreneurial skills into the curricula of our universities. It should not be an add-on. It should be that, whatever we’re doing at universities, students feel at home.

They will possess this entrepreneurial mindset, and this entrepreneurial culture must also influence the systems, processes and the way we think at these universities, from the vice-chancellor down to the students and all the staff. It is, therefore, the reason why we have a strong focus on entrepreneurial universities.

Entrepreneurial universities have a specific set of characteristics. This project will undoubtedly contribute where we have all the players present: the ministries of education, university leadership, the academics at universities and our student leadership, to ensure that we will be able to transform our participating universities into entrepreneurial universities and embed this entrepreneurial culture, not only among our students, but also the staff and, as I’ve said, across the university.

UWN: Finally, how does THENSA attract business and industry to this initiative?

HdJ: Several institutions focus on work-integrated learning, or work-based learning, whereby part of a student’s studies for a particular programme must be conducted in an industry or business setting.

And it is through work-integrated learning opportunities that we can partner much more closely with business and industry, who can accommodate students for internships and work-integrated learning opportunities. And what better way to instil this entrepreneurial mindset among graduates?

Not everybody has to set up a business, but through an entrepreneurial mindset, you can undoubtedly contribute significantly to enhancing the effectiveness, efficiency and production processes of a particular industry.

I am of the view that business and industry will join forces to co-create with us what we believe in, encompassing the principles of entrepreneurial skills and culture. They will then be an integral part of this project, which is also one of our areas of focus.

And then, in general, I’m grateful to all the partners of this EU-financially supported UNIICo-create project, by which we will utilise entrepreneurship to drive transformation in the SADC region.