Universities South Africa
EDHE News
A research study highlights key impediments to student women participation in entrepreneurship at SA universities
Low self-esteem is a significant barrier to student women participation in entrepreneurship at universities, according to findings of the study titled Barriers Faced by student...
SWEEP is a response to South Africa’s national challenges and is therefore justified
According to findings of Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey of 2024, the youth unemployment rate reached 32.9% in the first quarter of 2024....
Behind every successful person there is a story worth drawing from
Paul Ryan once wrote that “behind every business, there’s a story worth knowing.” He was recently proven right through the extensive thought leadership that was...
A financial inclusion enterprise wins Intervarsity 2023 finals in the Tech category
It was a big week for the founder of Libex, a Web3 ecosystem company whose primary aim is to promote financial inclusion and democratise financial...
A plastic waste transforming company wins in new Research Based Business category of Intervarsity 2023
“The plastic pollution crisis is here. But luckily, we have the ultimate solution: Bioplastics: plant-based and biodegradable alternatives to regular plastics. WRONG!” Ms Dominique Rocher, 1st...
An after-school play and learn facility for pupils wins student R10 000
A staggering 250 000 learners drop out of school in South Africa, with 81% of Grade 4 learners proven for not being able to read for...
Biking delivery company clinches first runner-up position at Intervarsity 2023
Mr Colin Mkosi, Founder of a delivery company called Cloudy Deliveries asked the audience at the Intervarsity 2023 finals if they had ever wondered how...
A company striving to reduce food waste wins Entrepreneurship Intervarsity in the Social Impact Category
“One of the biggest reasons for food insecurity is food waste. There is way more food in the value chain than we actually use. A...
Proud Eastern Cape community celebrates Walter Sisulu University student farmer’s R120 000 win
An entire community celebrated after a young student farmer was named the Studentpreneur of 2023 at the 5th EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity finals held in Johannesburg...
Successful businessman inspires at Entrepreneurship Intervarsity Awards event
A giant video screen flashing snippets of media footage illustrated how an entrepreneur turned a fictitious boerewors roll vendor called Vuyo into reality. So began the...
Changes sweep across Entrepreneurship Intervarsity Awards
The fifth Entrepreneurship Intervarsity Awards saw a few firsts and an end to a year-long process on 1 December 2023, as Universities South Africa (USAf) showcased...
Exposure to Switzerland’s innovation and entrepreneurship landscape boosts confidence in a young South African
The founder of one South African student start-up that won a trip to a 10-day residency programme at the University of Basel in Switzerland, in...
Strategies for institutionalising entrepreneurship; building an entrepreneurial university
Sound policies, adequate resources and identifying champions became recurring themes as past recipients of the annual Rising Star Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) and DVC of the...
At its core, social entrepreneurship is about driving positive social change
Cognisant that businesses of any kind ought to generate profit, Dr Paul Igwe, Senior Lecturer in Strategy and Enterprise and Programme Leader in the University...
How EDHE is enabling the entrepreneurship ecosystem within South Africa’s universities
The Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme – which was established in 2016 “with humble beginnings” – is broadening its scope from creating business in its...
A Namibian-born scholar is taking Coventry University, in the UK, to new entrepreneurial heights
Professor Gideon Maas has implemented a module titled Contemporary Issues in Entrepreneurship at Coventry University in the United Kingdom, which has no predetermined content. “There...
EDHE’s bumper programme for 2022 includes a new video campaign
At the recent Executive Leadership Workshop of Universities South Africa’s Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme, EDHE’s Project Manager, Ms Zana Boshoff, outlined their busy programme for...
There is no clearcut answer about which skills are needed to commercialise research
Professor Keolebogile Shirley Motaung did not have to rattle off a list to illustrate The skill set required for commercialisation, which was the title of the...
Universities can build relationships with industry by inviting people to networking events
The first session of the two-day Executive Leadership Workshop (ELW) on Commercialisation of Research, held in Cape Town last week – featured two speakers from...
Commercialisation in the nano-biotechnology field
Dr. Anita Goel has an impressive pedigree when it comes to merging science and research with being a global entrepreneur. She’s an award-winning world-renowned expert...
Taking a research lab discovery into the marketplace; the Entiro story
Stick to one field and focus if you want to be successful. This was the message from Professor Leon Dicks, Distinguished Professor in Microbiology at Stellenbosch...
Commercialising research requires universities to think differently
“It will not be long before institutions are chosen by students because of the innovative and entrepreneurial environments and cultures that they create,” Dr Norah...
Being mindful of the words we speak over ourselves to cultivate resilience and sustainability
When members of the Student Women Economic Empowerment Programme (SWEEP) gathered online on 23 February 2022 to unpack the topic of resilience...
Registration for the popular Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2022 opens
A call to entry for the most prestigious Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2022 kicked off with a resounding roar last Thursday, 24 February....
2021 Entrepreneurship Intervarsity winners give new entrants tips for success
Advice, encouragement and warnings on potential pitfalls were shared by last year’s winners at the launch of the fourth Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Entrepreneurship...
EDHE enlists the Oxford University Innovation expertise at its Innovation Ecosystems workshop
The Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Programme’s Kick-off event for 2022, starting today, takes the form of a workshop on Innovation Systems and Academic...
Introducing SWEEP chapters at public universities
The recent three-day Economic Activation workshop of the Student Women Economic Empowerment Programme (SWEEP) climaxed when EDHE leaders introduced SWEEP University Chapters intended for all...
How to build a positive self-image for success in business
While personality is imperative in human relations, appearance tends to be the primary impression maker on any person, or brand. Therefore, Universities South Africa’s Entrepreneurship...
Dealing with trauma and hardship requires personal resilience skills
Resilience is about thriving and growing despite the hardship or challenge that has engulfed us. That was the message of Dr Norah Clarke, Director: Entrepreneurship...
Nudging entrepreneurial women towards creating viable enterprises
When Ms Leonie Greyling asked women attending an entrepreneurship workshop what came to mind when they heard “innovation”, a few sprang to respond, and their...
How-To Tips for Aspiring Student Women Entrepreneurs
Making a success of one’s business enterprise was the focus of Day Two of the inaugural Economic Activation Workshop of The Student...
How patriarchy and apartheid practices shaped a white woman into a feisty entrepreneur
She was raised on a farm in rural KwaZulu-Natal by strong, brave, and tenacious women who gathered firewood. Watching her own mother being downtrodden by...
Courage, Confidence, Resilience and Professionalism: Essential skills for budding businesswomen
Two speakers at the inaugural Economic Activation Workshop of The Student Women Economic Empowerment Project (SWEEP), identified resilience and courage as the key qualities necessary...
Session One of the SWEEP Economic Activation Workshop focuses on mentorship and goal-setting
The Student Women Economic Empowerment Programme (SWEEP) – the brainchild of Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE), kicked off its inaugural Economic Activation Workshop with...
Simon Gifford to grace EDHE’s Student Women Economic Empowerment Programme Economic Activation Workshop as speaker
A much-admired and respected entrepreneur, Mr Simon Gifford, will be sharing entrepreneurship insights with members of the Student Women Economic Empowerment Programme (SWEEP) during the...
EDHE recognises the contributions, and outcomes, of the entrepreneurship communities of practice
At the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2021 last Friday, Dr Norah Clarke, Director: Entrepreneurship at Universities South Africa (USAf), affirmed the leadership of the five communities...
A hard-hatted construction boss designs PPE for women
Ms Kholeka Mtshali, a 23-year-old University of Free State Bachelor of Divinity student, puts on a hard hat and runs a business called Opulence Construction...
A medicine delivery app promises help for struggling NGOs
Overburdened healthcare workers at non-governmental organisations across Cape Town spurred a 4th year Bachelor of Pharmacy student at the University of the Western Cape, into...
A Nelson Mandela University student cycles to success
I believe in pedal power! Those were the words a Nelson Mandela University student, Mr Charles Mbhele, began with, as he showcased his bicycle company...
A studentpreneur wants her business to eradicate hunger
Ms Ntombizonke Mdletshe, a student at the University of Zululand, has an idea that she hopes will help relieve the devastating effects of poverty-related hunger....
Women sweep the board at the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2021
The EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2021 event, organised by Universities South Africa’s Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme, was a women-dominated event. In an unprecedented...
A very personal entrepreneurship journey inspires studentpreneurs
If it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to create an entrepreneurial eco-system for studentpreneurs to succeed. So said...
A winning formula at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
Professor Eunice Seekoe is a Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC): Teaching, Learning and Community Engagement at the Sefako Makgatho University of Health Sciences (SMU). Chosen from...
All universities must strive to reach the pinnacle of the annual EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity
A total of 18 of South Africa’s 26 public universities were represented at the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2021 finals last week – and the address...
Crowdsource funding business wins UCT medical student entrepreneur R120 000
GoShare, the winning business in the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2021, will not just be financially viable: it will change lives. That is what fifth-year University...
Making a difference: meet the owners of businesses that have huge social impact
The winners in the social impact category of the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2021– which showcased successful student enterprises from 18 of South Africa’s universities –...
Drones as a security back-up idea wins Entrepreneurship Intervarsity award
Sickened by the increasing number of farm attacks and wanting to give farmers an early warning system sparked an award-winning business idea in drone technology....
Allergy Foundation approved skin care products win studentpreneur R20 000
When Ms Mashoto Mphahlele (left), final year media studies student at the University of Limpopo, walked onto stage to present her thriving cosmetics business,...
Winning online language academy promotes the learning of African Languages
Turning the teaching and learning of a language into a business has won studentpreneur, Ms Chido Dzinotyiwei, R20 000. As important is the desire of...
Public universities deploy their 28 enterprising best in the 2021 Entrepreneurship Intervarsity finals
When Friday, 19 November comes to an end, budding student entrepreneurs in South Africa’s public university system will know who the best in entrepreneurial practice...
Four universities make it to the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity finals for the first time
Four of Universities South Africa’s 26 member institutions will be participating in the 2021 EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity finals for the first time since the competition...
Perspectives on commercialisation and technology transfer in the SA university ecosystem
Professor Kyle Farmbry of Rutgers University in Newark in the United States (US) made an announcement at the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Lekgotla that...
The Challenges and Opportunities facing Higher Education Institutions in the Digital Era
Three leading South African academics shared a virtual platform to discuss High Tech Innovation in Africa at the annual Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Lekgotla...
Smart farming technologies present solutions to farming challenges
New-entry farmers stand a better chance of succeeding in their farming ventures when they adopt smart technology applications. Ms Mbali Nwoko, Chief Executive Farmer at Green...
Science, discipline and firm business acumen birthed CapeBio Technologies (Pty) Ltd
She threw her full weight behind her studies and, in the process, obtained her BSc in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering with no fewer than 24 distinctions...
How the Durban University of Technology supports the growth of student startup businesses
The question posed to Ms Dineo Lioma (on Monday, 14 September) regarding: Where do you locate South African universities in this space (offering technical skills, exposure...
Universities hold the key to South Africa’s economic recovery – speakers at the opening of EDHE Lekgotla 2020 concede
The first two speakers at the opening session of the 4th annual national Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Lekgotla were such a hit that the...
African child: problems of this continent are your opportunities to innovate and profit…
Although the African continent is plagued by many challenges, such as basic healthcare, food and water security as well as exponentially high unemployment rates, massive opportunities...
All systems go for the EDHE Lekgotla 2020
The 4th Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Lekgotla, starts today. This event is being anchored from USAf’s offices in Hatfield and freely live-streamed on the...
EDHE Shining a Spotlight on Studentpreneurs across South Africa
The Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme will be launching the second iteration of the national Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2020 competition on 21 January 2020 at...
USAf Board welcomes the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Programme
The Board of Directors also welcomed absorption into USAf, of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Programme, which was established in the Department of Higher...
Initiatives in Higher Education to drive the development of Entrepreneurship among South African graduates
In this article, an independent author, Camilla Pennington, takes a look at initiatives in Higher Education to drive the development of entrepreneurship among South African graduates....