AI and machine learning skill sets needed to improve Africa’s water resources management

Water is a limited natural resource and for Africa to improve its management of this resource, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning skill sets need to be taught and embraced at institutions of higher learning.

This is one of the conclusions of Prof Jean-Marie Kileshye Onema, executive manager for the Southern African…

New planetary commons law and governance urgently needed to safeguard functions of critical Earth systems

It is time to realise and accept that we, as a species, share a responsibility to work together to safeguard all the environmental systems that regulate the functioning and state of the planet.

This is according to Louis Kotzé, research professor at the Faculty of Law of the North-West University (NWU). Prof Kotzé recently served as co-…

The decade of healthy ageing – responsibilities and prospects for the Africa we want

While Africa is a continent with a rapidly growing population of young people, it is crucial for the region to pay attention to the global agenda on ageing.

The United Nations declared the years 2021 to 2030 as the "Decade of Healthy Ageing". This global collaboration, aligned with the last 10 years of the Sustainable Development Goals…

Researchers discover two new species of bushveld arum lilies

If you think you have seen arum lilies in all their beautiful shapes, sizes and colours, you are in for a surprise: two new species were recently discovered in the Sekhukhuneland bushveld where these plants grow naturally and spectacularly.

Researchers from the North-West University (NWU), in collaboration with a researcher from the…

Researcher joins top cardiologists on the SA Heart® board

A researcher of the North-West University (NWU) has been selected to serve on the board of directors of the South African Heart Association (SA Heart®). He will also work in its executive and stakeholder committees.

Prof Ruan Kruger from the Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART) will serve on the board for a period of three years…

Prof Jonathan Calof takes his market insight to a Mandarin audience

It is no surprise that, as a world-renowned expert in intelligence and foresight, Prof Jonathan Calof from the Ottawa University in Canada and extraordinary professor in the research focus area TRADE at the North-West University (NWU), is finding another global stage: China.

Prof Calof’s book, Gaining Market Insight from Events, has…

Technology Transfer and Innovation Support Office leads the way in empowering innovation

by Vukosi Mathale

The North-West University (NWU) has taken significant steps to foster innovation and bring research breakthroughs to the market. Central to this effort is the Technology Transfer and Innovation Support (TTIS) Office.

The role of TTIS is to help researchers translate their academic…

Meet our researchers

The faculties at the North-West University (NWU) are doing exciting work on the research front.

Prof Philimon Modisha is an associate professor in the Faculty of Engineering and his research is centred on liquid organic hydrogen storage. His research is mostly at the Department of Science and Innovation Hydrogen South Africa…

Unlocking the cultural language of emojis: a study on Facebook emojis and isiXhosa meanings

A researcher in the School of Communication at the North-West University (NWU), Dr Quatro Mgogo, has embarked on a study to explore how Facebook emojis are being employed to shape the meanings of izaci namaqhalo esiXhosa (isiXhosa proverbs and idioms).

The study also delves into how isiXhosa-speaking Facebook users are harnessing emojis…

Great honour for budding researcher

Maricélle Botes’s long journey with the North-West University (NWU) has paid off. This final-year PhD student at the research unit for Law, Justice and Sustainability has been honoured with the Research Excellence Award for Next Generation Researchers in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Law category by the National Research Foundation (NRF…