North-West University (NWU) academic Prof Olubukola Oluranti Babalola has been appointed as the foreign affairs secretary of the Nigerian Academy of Science for a two-year term beginning in May 2024.

Prof Babalola, director of the Food Security and Safety research niche area, brings a wealth of experience to her new role. Having collaborated on research projects with various countries, including Nigeria, her appointment highlights her commitment to fostering global partnerships.

In the face of global water scarcity and pollution challenges, a recent study by North-West University (NWU) academic Prof Lobina Palamuleni has uncovered a potential solution using an unexpected material: sunflower seeds.

Traditionally recognised for their versatility in food, medicine and industry, sunflower seeds may now play a pivotal role in sustainable water treatment methods.

In an inequitable world, achieving social justice is central to bringing about a better world. We need a new breed of legal leaders ready to make the law in all its fields and services more accessible to people.

On Friday, 8 March we celebrate International Women’s Day. It is a time for reflection and remembrance, and a time when we recognise the sacrifices of the past and accomplishments to come. It has been 113 years since the first International Women’s Day was celebrated in 1911, and we live in a world that has been irrevocably changed since then.

Prof Leenta Grobler, deputy director of the Business School at the North-West University, explains why it is imperative that the 2024 school governing body elections must be characterised by informed decisions.

“The good news is that South Africa has, after all, narrowly avoided a ‘technical recession’ (two successive quarters of negative growth) by registering a scant gross domestic product (GDP) growth rise of 0,1% in the fourth quarter of 2023.”

In commenting on the growth figures for the fourth quarter of 2023 that were released on 5 March, Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, says this followed on a -0,2% GDP decline in the third quarter of 2023.

A team of students from the North-West University (NWU), under the guidance of computer scientist and lecturer Dr Japie Greeff, recently participated in the BRICS Skills competition in China in the Data Analysis and Visualisation and Machine Learning and Big Data categories.

More than 138 participants from over 60 universities in 13 countries participated in the event, and the NWU walked away with various medals and awards.

The double burden of malnutrition – undernutrition and obesity happening at the same time – affects most low- and middle-income countries. In Africa, which has a complicated food system, it poses complex health challenges that need to be addressed by nutrition professionals on the continent.

The African Nutrition Leadership Programme (ANLP) has for 22 years played a pivotal role in leadership capacity building and the development of early- and mid-career nutrition professionals and institutions, not only locally, but also on the rest of the African continent.

North-West University (NWU) student Oreneile Oscar Mosenogi has been chosen to represent the South Africa at the prestigious World Youth Festival in Sochi, Russia from 29 February to 8 March 2024.

Oscar is currently serving as the stakeholder relations officer of SABYA.

The World Youth Festival is the largest l youth event in the world and offers a platform for open conversation and opinion exchange to foster collaboration and to address critical global youth issues.

Two rounds and two resounding wins. The North-West University (NWU) Eagles gave their home crowd at the Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds enough to cheer about as they beat the University of the Western Cape (UWC) 49–15 in their Varsity Cup clash.

A purple wave of six tries washed over the visitors and the tide was firmly in the Eagles’ favour. Telling is the – perhaps mournful – fact that a number of opportunities for the home team went to waste. The Eagles should have won by a bigger margin, and they will be the first to admit it.