UM6P bridges African and North American ecosystems for mutual growth

The future of higher education is being rewritten and I’m proud that the Central University of Technology, Free State is part of this story. Together with Prof. Alfred Ngowi, our former DVC: Research, Innovation and Engagement, I had the honour of contributing the chapter “From Ivory Towers to Impact Hubs: Reimagining the African University for a Transformative Future” to ACEEU’s global publication, Current Practices & Emerging Futures of Higher Education. Our piece reflects how CUT is moving beyond the traditional teaching-and-research model to build an entrepreneurial and engaged university where innovation, technology transfer and community co-creation are part of everyday practice. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystem (EIE) we’ve built demonstrates how African universities can become catalysts for inclusive growth and sustainable impact, transforming lives through ideas, partnerships and purpose-driven innovation. Read the open-access publication → https://lnkd.in/dyT4W6Gf #HigherEducation #Entrepreneurship #Engagement #Impact #ThirdMission #ACEEU #Innovation #Africa #CUT ACEEU Central University of Technology, Free State

Ubuntu says "I am because we are" and Pan-African business proves it creates stronger economies than competition ever could. CONTINENTAL: On United Nations Day, celebrating Pan-African collaborative economics, recognizing how continental unity through business partnerships creates the rising tide lifting all African enterprises toward shared prosperity. "The African Continental Free Trade Area isn't just policy, it's Ubuntu applied to continental economics. When African businesses collaborate across borders, we're not being nice, we're being strategic." - Pan-African Economics 🤝 What if Pan-African business collaboration isn't idealism but the most ruthlessly effective economic strategy for continental transformation? The Ubuntu collaboration framework reveals something powerful. When you examine African economic development patterns, you discover that cross-border partnerships create continental capacity, while collaborative trade enables shared prosperity. This is because Africa competing against itself keeps the continent fragmented and weak, while African businesses collaborating across borders create an economic bloc that can negotiate with global powers from strength. Most African entrepreneurs still think nationally while wondering why continental impact feels impossible, but Pan-African strategic leaders understand that the African Continental Free Trade Area creates opportunities that national thinking never could access. True Pan-African business power isn't building the biggest company in your country, it's building partnerships across African nations that create continental economic networks too strong for any external force to exploit individually. Consider how the European Union transformed European economic power not through competition but collaboration, creating a bloc that negotiates globally from united strength. Africa needs the same collaborative economic sophistication. Think about these essential questions. Which African entrepreneurs in other nations could become your strategic partners? How can cross-border collaboration give you continental reach? Where could Pan-African partnerships enable capabilities that national focus limits? What becomes possible when African businesses stop competing nationally and start collaborating continentally? Powerful Pan-African entrepreneurs treat continental collaboration like master builders treat foundation work, recognizing that African prosperity requires African businesses working together rather than competing for scraps while external forces exploit our divisions. Book: 📚 "Africa First!" by Colin Darch #PanAfricanBusiness #UbuntuEconomics #UnitedNationsDay #ContinentalCollaboration #AfCFTA #AfricanUnity #CollaborativeEconomics

The Innovation for African Universities (IAU) Community of Practice, in partnership with the British Council and REACH-PSM, hosted its first regional webinar titled “Innovation Journeys through UK Partnerships in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Story of TEA@Sunrise, REACH-PSM and Beyond.” Facilitated by Prof. Thea van der Westhuizen💯 ( IAU CoP South Africa Lead), the session explored innovation pathways and strategic partnerships across Sub-Saharan African universities and entrepreneurship ecosystems. Key contributions came from thought leaders across the UK, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa — including Swansea University, Strathmore University, the University of Cape Town, and Kijani Testing Limited — sharing insights on sustainable energy innovation, gender inclusion, and international collaboration. As Dr David Chiawo, PhD (IAU CoP Regional Chair) noted, the CoP serves as “a space for students to engage, build skills, and gain confidence to be innovators.” The British Council’s Sam Rametse further emphasised the importance of university partnerships in tackling Africa’s youth unemployment through entrepreneurship and innovation. The event concluded with an engaging Q&A and interactive quiz led by Soji Megbowon — setting the stage for future collaborations that strengthen the role of African universities in driving sustainable innovation. #Innovation #HigherEducation #Entrepreneurship #IAUCoP #BritishCouncil #Africa #Partnerships #REACHPSM #TEAatSunrise #UKZN Meekness Lunga-Ayidu; Daniel Emenahor; George Barrett; Ernest Winful; Sean BC Farran; Matthew Davies; Jiska de Groot; carol maddock; Anne Wacera Wambugu Carren Atieno

The Future of Digital Learning in Africa: A Vision of Inclusion and Innovation This is more than education, it’s about shaping Africa’s next generation of innovators, leaders, and changemakers. #DigitalLearning #EdTech #Africa #Innovation #CoreFusionAfrica #EducationForAll

PIONEERING A CULTURE OF INNOVATION IN AFRICAN EDUCATION TO DRIVE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ❤️ 🙏 Promoting a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship within African schools is crucial for fostering future problem-solvers. By integrating creative thinking and business skills into the curriculum students are empowered to tackle local challenges with innovative solutions. Such an approach nurtures a mindset of resilience and resourcefulness essential for sustainable development. Encouraging young minds to think entrepreneurial fosters economic growth and social progress while also instilling confidence and leadership qualities. Investing in this educational paradigm shift can transform communities equipping students to become catalysts of change. Ultimately, cultivating innovation in schools paves the way for a vibrant self-sufficient Africa driven by its young empowered generation. #transformingeducationinafrica #unlockingafricaspotential #BuildingFutureLeaders #empoweringthenextgeneration #shapingafricasfuture #fromclassroomtocommunity #InvestingInEducation

Beyond Compute: Building the People Infrastructure of AI” Most times when we discuss the rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence, our attention goes straight to the infrastructure such as compute, storage, data, and models. But how often do we talk about the People Infrastructure? At the World Summit AI, I shared that the origin and future of AI are not machines but people. Every new leap in computing power places a proportional demand on human capability. As data and infrastructure scale, so must our collective skill base. Recent McKinsey research highlights that millions of mid-career professionals will need to reskill rapidly, many without the luxury of returning to a four-year degree. This reality forces a hard truth: If we continue building faster machines without building faster learners, the system will break from within. That is why the conversation around AI infrastructure must evolve beyond hardware to include humanware, the people, talent, and learning ecosystems that sustain innovation. The future of AI will not be defined solely by compute capacity but by human capacity. Building that means aligning academia, industry, government, civil society, and individuals in a shared mission to invest in people as deliberately as we invest in technology. Because at its core, AI is human-enabled intelligence, and it will only ever be as wise, inclusive, and resilient as the people who power it. Join me this 31st October in SU Sunderland as I speak once again to reiterate this call for balance between technological and human infrastructure. It is a call for all of us to build an AI future that advances both machines and humanity together. #WorldSummitAI #AIforHumanity #FutureOfWork #AILiteracy #Reskilling #HumanInfrastructure #AIethics #DigitalTransformation

Is this really the “#Asian_Century”? Or are we witnessing the rise of something far more extraordinary — the African Century? Sitting in Kigali at the Africa Health Collaborative Annual Convening, I’ve been reflecting on how the narrative of “the future is Asian” might be missing what’s happening right here in Africa. What I’m seeing across African higher-education and professional networks feels transformative — something many parts of Asia have yet to imagine. 1️⃣ Higher education without borders African universities and colleges are rising above national politics, co-creating joint regulatory frameworks, and enabling graduates to move freely for jobs, training, and research. Initiatives such as the African Union’s Pan-African Quality Assurance and Accreditation Framework (PAQAF) and HAQAA3 are harmonizing qualifications and building true continental mobility — a foundation for employability and innovation. 2️⃣ A new professional mindset Professors, researchers, doctors, and development practitioners are opening up to new ideas, learning from youth, and collaborating across borders for the greater good of the continent. This is continental thinking in action — and it’s powerful. Now compare that with Asia. Where is the Asian institutional identity? Where are the pan-Asian frameworks driving shared learning and mobility? Yes, there are initiatives like the Asian Universities Alliance (AUA) and SEAMEO, but they remain limited and often constrained by national politics. Too often, Asian institutions and professionals remain #captive to #national #narratives, rather than being the ones who #reshape them. In Africa, I’m witnessing the opposite — institutions that lead the narrative toward collaboration, shared growth, and collective purpose irrespective of the national politics. What’s happening here in Africa goes beyond rhetoric. It’s innovation in real time — systemic, visionary, and deeply human. Perhaps it’s time to reimagine the story we tell about the 21st century. Because from where I stand, the future looks African. 🌍✨ #AfricaRising #AfricanCentury #HigherEducation #Collaboration #Innovation #AHC #Kigali #FutureIsAfrican #Leadership #ContinentalThinking #PublicHealth #GlobalDevelopment

Africa’s Campus Battle – Virtual Edition 2025: A First in Africa! Over 3,000 students from 43 countries dared to share their talent—and only the top 16 acts now take the virtual stage. This is where ambition meets opportunity. ACB is not just a competition but a platform where African youth transform creativity into careers, solutions and real impact. Every act you’ll see represents resilience, innovation, and the power to shape the continent. Few get this chance. Few are seen. Being here sets you apart. 🎬 Watch the video to witness: 16 finalists turning talent into opportunity Challenges that push creativity and vision Feedback shaping the leaders of tomorrow Feel the energy. See the talent. Be inspired, aspire higher, and recognize what’s possible when Africa’s brightest rise together. #ACBVirtualEdition #Top16 #AfricaYouthTalent #ImpactThroughCreativity #FutureLeaders #ExclusiveOpportunity

At the 2025 Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Partners Convening, Joseph Ndiritu, Director of Program Delivery and Reporting at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), joined a panel on Reflecting on Institutional Impact to highlight how the Mastercard Foundation #ScholarsProgram is helping institutions move from change within to change across the higher education ecosystem. Representing AIMS, Joseph shared how the Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office (KTTO), hosted at AIMS Research and Innovation Centre in Kigali, is becoming a continental model for connecting research, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Through the Knowledge and Technology Transfer, AIMS is: 👉 Building structures for intellectual property management and commercialization. 👉 Running incubators that help young Africans transform ideas into start-ups. 👉 Launching ASKIT — the African Society for Knowledge, Innovation and Transfer. Embedding IP and entrepreneurship in its postgraduate curriculum He noted that this approach enables young Africans to own their ideas, build enterprises, and create jobs—turning innovation into sustainable impact. With support from the Mastercard Foundation, We are now expanding KTTO services across Centres and aligning its work with the AfCFTA IP eamlessly across the continent. “Systems-level change means giving young Africans the structures and safeguards to turn ideas into ownership, ownership into enterprise, and enterprise into jobs at scale.” — Joseph Ndiritu #MastercardFoundation #ScholarsProgram #Innovation #STEM #Africa #HigherEducation #Inclusion #Entrepreneurship #SystemsChange #BAOBABSUmmit2025 AIMS Cameroon African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Rwanda African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Sénégal AIMS South Africa

🐝 InnoEUsphere and JA Cyprus showcased Cultural BEES during the 'Youth Entrepreneurship' session at Creative Skills Week 2025. The discussion highlighted how creative entrepreneurial skills empower young people, building confidence, resilience, and problem-solving. Key points included the importance of skills recognition, the role of soft skills and self-efficacy, and the need to scale initiatives. The piloting phase in Cyprus, Italy, and Bulgaria will engage students with digital learning, mentoring, and local cultural events. Read the full article ▶︎ https://lnkd.in/dXckR9Z7 #CreativeSkillsWeek #CulturalBEES #YouthEntrepreneurship #CreativeIndustries JA Europe Materahub University of Nova Gorica Cyprus UNESCO National Commission Danmar Computers JA Italia Isola.Catania ANCI Lombardia University of Economics - Varna