Nelson Mandela University officially opened its recent Africa International Teaching Week (AITW), hosted at the Business School on the Second Avenue campus, celebrated the spirit of global collaboration and academic excellence.
What began as a pilot initiative with North-West University has now evolved into a platform connecting leading institutions across Africa and the world, including the University of the Western Cape and the Central University of Technology.
Professor Muronga emphasised that the AITW represents more than an academic gathering, it is a commitment to shared learning, innovation, and the strengthening of relationships among universities.
“It creates structured opportunities for our teachers and students to engage with visiting academics and experts from across Africa and beyond,” he said. “This platform fosters excellence in learning and teaching through cross-cultural exchange and global collaboration.”
With participants from Germany, Malawi, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, the week-long event featured interactive sessions designed to encourage knowledge exchange and leadership development in curriculum innovation.
Prof Muronga noted that these partnerships are vital in facing global challenges in higher education, where “collaboration becomes our most powerful response.”
He reaffirmed that the initiative aligns deeply with the University’s values of social justice, excellence, and ubuntu, reminding attendees that “we grow stronger through shared humanity and collective wisdom.”
As the University continues to build networks across continents, the Africa International Teaching Week stands as a testament to the transformative power of collaboration, a symbol of Africa’s rising academic voice in shaping an interconnected world.
“What kind of graduates are we putting out there in the world?” asked Professor Sydney Mishi, an Associate Professor in Economics at Mandela University, reflecting on the evolving role of higher education in a changing global landscape.
Prof Mishi explored the growing significance of ESG — Environmental, Social, and Governance, as both an academic and moral imperative. ESG, he explained, “reframes accountability beyond profits” and emphasises the integration of ethical leadership, sustainability, and social responsibility into every discipline.
From accounting to human resources, marketing, and economics, the faculty is embedding ESG principles into its curriculum to ensure students graduate as responsible global citizens.
“We don’t want ESG to be just a slogan,” Prof Mishi said. “It must be part and parcel of what we do and how we do things.”
He stressed that the faculty’s goal is to nurture graduates who “think about the future, not just the present,” and who are “socially responsible, ethically grounded, and environmentally conscious.”
In closing, Prof Mishi noted that integrating ESG requires courage, to innovate, to collaborate, and to transform. “Education must remain humanity’s greatest hope,” he affirmed, “and universities must be laboratories for sustainability, empathy, and good governance.”
“We are here to celebrate learning and teaching,” said Dr Muki Moeng, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching and reflected on the deeper meaning of the week, describing it as “a celebration of collaboration and shared purpose.”
She explained that the initiative, born from an invitation by North-West University, symbolises the University’s commitment to building strong academic partnerships across the continent.
“We wanted a faculty that could hit the ground running, one ready to connect Africa and the world through teaching and learning,” she said, commending the Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences for leading this inaugural event.
Highlighting the link between learning, teaching, and internationalisation, Dr Moeng noted that such partnerships align closely with Vision 2030 and the University’s mission to liberate human potential.
“We can never be an island as an institution,” she accentuated. “As a comprehensive university, learning and teaching are at our core, and collaboration is our bridge to global excellence.”
She also encouraged students to take pride in being Mandela graduates, critical thinkers shaped by humanising pedagogy.
“A Nelson Mandela University graduate talks differently, walks differently, and engages differently,” she said, expressing pride in their role as ambassadors of transformative education.