A globally renowned scholar in 4IR will share his views during the inaugural Catalytic Niche Area (CNA) Symposium from 14 to 15 August at the Muckleneuk Campus. The CNAs are a strategic Unisa priority, but the implementation and take-up have been slower than expected.
At the opening of its annual week-long celebration of the world-class, Africa-centred work emanating from its colleges, the university underscored its commitment to bridging the gap between science and society through a wide range of research and innovation initiatives.
"Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development makes it very clear that we have to move away from business as usual in terms of production and consumption," stated Dr Ilcheong Yi of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) in a thought-provoking keynote address at the fourth Social Policy in Africa conference.
Intellectual minds from South Africa, Nigeria, Togo, Morocco, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Algeria, Eswatini, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands recently assembled to engage on social policy in post-Covid Africa actively: In search of an inclusive and equitable architecture.
Prof Jessica Murray from the College of Graduate Studies is facilitating the college's catalytic niche areas optimisation interventions. By leading these interventions, Murray ensures that Unisa develops rich and rigorous institutional-level engagements with all the CNAs.