Today marks the opening of proposal presentations for the inaugural cohort of the PhD Hub for Africa, an ambitious pilot initiative of the North-West University (NWU) Business School to reimagine doctoral education for the continent.
Over two days, Friday, 28 November and Monday, 1 December 2025, 24 doctoral candidates will present their research proposals as the culmination of a four-month Bridging Phase. Those who meet the academic requirements will proceed to full enrolment in the PhD in Business Administration programme in 2026.
Opening the colloquium, Prof. Joseph Sekhampu, chief director of the NWU Business School, reflected: “In Africa, we say it takes a village to raise a child. At the NWU Business School, we say it takes a community of practitioners to guide a PhD student to contextually relevant and socially impactful research.”
Prof. Linda du Plessis, senior deputy vice-chancellor for teaching and learning, also addressed the cohort, encouraging students to approach this milestone with courage and integrity, and reaffirming the NWU’s commitment to producing research that serves the continent’s development goals.
What is the PhD Hub for Africa?
The PhD Hub is a structured, multi-phase doctoral education model designed to improve throughput, strengthen academic support, and centre African realities in postgraduate research. The pilot project is funded by the NWU vice-chancellor’s strategic fund and includes candidates from South Africa (4), Rwanda (8), Kenya (2), Lesotho (4), Uganda (4), and Botswana (2).
The model follows three core phases:
- Bridging: Pre-enrolment academic preparation and proposal development
- Shaping: Formal registration, supervisory engagement, and methodological deepening
- Becoming: Dissertation completion, publication, and research dissemination
Each student is supported by a layered academic network that includes NWU supervisors, in-country supervisors, postdoctoral fellows, country mentors, and a scientific advisory committee. This model is grounded in a community approach, where students and mentors walk the journey together, ensuring each project is relevant, rigorous, and well supported.
Thematic areas of research
The proposals being presented address some of Africa’s most urgent development priorities, including green finance and climate resilience, ethical leadership and governance, financial inclusion, social entrepreneurship, innovation through 4IR technologies and blockchain, SME transformation, and the revitalisation of informal sectors with a strong emphasis on women’s economic empowerment.
Strategic importance
The PhD Hub for Africa is more than an academic innovation. It is a strategic embodiment of the NWU Business School’s commitment to public good and continental relevance. It reflects the school’s shift towards engaged, ethical, and African-centred scholarship. By connecting scholars, mentors, and institutions from across the continent, the Hub nurtures a research community that is rigorous, collaborative, and rooted in real-world challenges.
This initiative also strengthens the NWU’s international footprint in a distinctly African way. It builds partnerships, expands visibility, and positions the Business School as a credible partner in advancing doctoral scholarship that matters. Importantly, this pilot group will also expand our PhD enrolment in line with the university’s institutional call for doctoral growth and increased research productivity.
