Through its digital innovation competition – which is designed to identify and support digital payment innovators – Absa recently honoured students from selected universities who took part in the competition.

As part of Absa’s inaugural commercial payments competition awards ceremony, the group of student finalists convened at the Sandton Convention Centre on Tuesday, 16 April. They received recognition for their outstanding interventions in the field of digital payments.

The Optentia research unit of the North-West University (NWU) recently hosted a symposium on technology, humanity and ethics, emphasising the importance of balancing technological progress with ethical considerations and human rights to ensure advancements support sustainability and individual well-being.

Optentia director Prof Ian Rothmann says the event aimed to bring together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from various fields to collaborate towards a more equitable and humane technological future.

- Africa must take ownership of its own wildlife.

- Botswana has proven how effective it is at sustainable wildlife conservation.

- Hunting is an effective tool to manage wildlife sustainably.

Germany’s proposed ban on the import of hunting trophies over poaching concerns has drawn the ire of Botswana’s President, Mokgweetsi Masisi. Botswana is home to the world’s largest elephant population, which has grown to more than 130 000.

Professor Quentin Campbell from the Faculty of Engineering at the North-West University (NWU) has an eloquent, soft-spoken way with words. Therefore, when he said, “it is time to make mining sexy”, the attendees at the NWU’s first ever mining indaba immediately took note with a chuckle.

Prof Campbell was serving as moderator during a group discussion, and his quick wit summed up a few of the delegates’ comments. The NWU’s mining indaba served to bring together leaders in the mining industry with the NWU to discuss establishing a mining school in the Rustenburg area.

To unearth potential, you need to dig deep. To break new ground, knowledge is needed. The North-West University (NWU) brought these two themes together on Wednesday, 3 April, when the NWU held its first mining indaba at the Capitol on Park Hotel in Sandton.

It takes an expert team of doctors and nurses to ensure effective treatment for critically ill patients. A crucial addition to this team is a dietitian, as studies have shown that without the guidance of nutrition experts, many patients become malnourished while in hospital care.

The Dietetics Programme in the School of Applied Health Sciences at the North-West University (NWU) has many years of experience in training quality dietitians in South Africa.

By Phenyo Mokgothu and Lerato Tshweu

Former professional footballer Ngunezi Mkhize has re-enrolled at the North-West University (NWU) Soccer Institute to further his football career and complete his studies.

The Soccer Institute is renowned for developing soccer players, coaches and administrators – producing well-rounded individuals with tertiary qualifications, as a football career is usually short-lived.

The North-West University’s Indigenous Language Media in Africa (ILMA) research niche area hosted a hybrid public lecture featuring Prof Molefi Kete Asante, a prominent figure in African American scholarship, on 19 March 2024.

The title of the lecture was “Afrocentricity, communication, and culture: Building a common history".

Prof Asante, a distinguished professor in the Department of Africology at Temple University in Philadelphia and president of the Molefi Kete Asante Institute for Afrocentric Studies, stands as a beacon in shaping discourse on Afrocentric education.

A new species of African bullfrog has been discovered in northeastern Namibia, southern Angola, southwestern Zambia and northwestern Botswana.

It is the largest frog species discovered in more than 100 years.

The largest specimen found is 210 millimetres long and weighs 1 kilogram.

The School of Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management at the North-West University (NWU) hosted a work-readiness workshop webinar for third-year and postgraduate students (honours and master’s degree) across all programmes.

On Tuesday, 12 March 2024, NWU students attended the annual work-readiness workshop on the Potchefstroom Campus. The main aim of the webinar was to equip the students with the skills and knowledge they need to successfully transition into the world of work.