A new funding commitment of more than $1,1 billion by the European Investment Bank is set to accelerate renewable energy projects across Africa, but experts say it will only begin to address a deeper, systemic electricity deficit affecting millions across the continent.
The North-West University (NWU) Water Research Group (WRG) hosted its annual Life Below Water outreach event on Saturday, 11 April 2026, drawing 120 children to the Lekwena Wildlife Estate for a morning of hands-on learning focused on aquatic ecosystems and environmental awareness.
The North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Agricultural Sciences has been recognised for its skills development at the South Africa Leadership Awards 2026.
The award, presented on 13 April in Johannesburg, places the school among institutions acknowledged for advancing capacity building and training across sectors.
Director of the School of Agricultural Sciences, Prof. Simon Letsoalo, said the award reflects the collective effort of staff and students in advancing agricultural education and skills development.
A recent study, co-authored by Dr Mandla Dlamini, researcher from the Unit of Environmental Management and Sciences (UESM) at the North-West University (NWU), emphasises that floodplain wetland management and disaster risk reduction efforts are unlikely to succeed without the active participation of affected communities.
The research found that while conservation and flood-control frameworks exist in many regions, people living near wetlands often experience these policies differently from how they were intended.
A team of North-West University (NWU) students will represent South Africa at the 5th International Soil Judging Competition, scheduled for June 2026 in Nanjing, China. This will place the institution on a global platform for soil science training and research.
The team, led by NWU lecturer and research scientist Angelique Daniell from the School of Geo- and Spatial Sciences, includes Wehan Voges, Heike Steinberg, Botha du Plessis and Sebastian Burger, who will compete against teams from 23 countries.
The North-West University (NWU), through its Nano-Environment Incubation Programme (NanoEnv) in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences on the Mahikeng Campus, successfully hosted a Water Week awareness campaign at Mogakolodi Masibi Comprehensive High School in Disaneng Village on 19 March 2026.
The Food Security and Safety (FSS) research niche area at North-West University (NWU) has secured a state-of-the-art automated greenhouse that will strengthen research capacity, support student training and expand crop production studies under controlled conditions.
The initiative is meant to equip students with both skillsets to operate both traditional and highly conventional automated greenhouse systems.
Sunflowers stretching towards the sky and rows of green maize plants swaying in the breeze set the tone for a day rooted in growth, learning and possibility at Pienaarskamp Farm.
Just a day earlier, the farm had already made an impression. Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), had taken members of the NWU Council on a tour of Pienaarskamp. They left inspired by what they saw, a space where vision is not only imagined, but actively lived out.
The Nano Environment Incubation Programme (NanoEnv) team from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (FNAS) at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus engaged with the management of the Groot Marico Biosphere Reserve and local stakeholders on 20 February 2026.
The purpose of the engagement was to present scientific findings from integrated water and sediment analyses conducted at previously sampled sites within the Biosphere, and to discuss key physicochemical parameters influencing water quality in the region.
The opportunity to learn from some of South Africa’s top scholars is a major advantage for up-and-coming academics who participate in the Future Professors Programme (FPP), a national initiative.
One such academic is Prof. Thembinkosi Malevu, an associate professor in the subject group Physics at the North-West University (NWU). He joined the FPP in January 2024 for its current two-year cycle.