Kagiso Ngake, the Coordinator for International Partnerships, Collaborative Degrees and Outgoing Mobility in the Office for International Affairs (OIA) at the University of the Free State (UFS), has been selected to participate in the 2024 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. Ngake, set to commence his fellowship in June 2024, expresses enthusiasm for this remarkable opportunity and eagerly anticipates personal interactions with fellow participants and engaging with representatives from organisations with vested interests in Africa.

Reflecting on his selection, Ngake attributes it to his contributions at UFS, particularly in fostering collaborations among UFS staff members and stakeholders in institutions across the continent. He underscores his role in expanding student and staff mobility grants, notably Erasmus+ grants, facilitating participation in exchange programmes with international partners.

Motivated by the success of a colleague who had participated in the fellowship and forged enduring partnerships in the United States, Ngake aims to bolster UFS’ partnerships in the US. ‘’The connections I make during the fellowship could benefit my department. Instead of simply suggesting collaboration after the fellowship, I could now say I know someone who may be interested in working with us, let’s have a conversation,’’ said Ngake.

Assigned to the Public Management Institute at Arizona State University in Phoenix for his fellowship, Ngake is poised to glean valuable insights. He aspires to learn strategies for fostering robust collaborations between the American and African institutions of higher learning, to enhance Intra-Africa collaboration in higher education.

In alignment with the UFS Vision 130, Ngake intends to leverage his skills to facilitate an increase in the number of African academic staff members with PhDs. He says, “This can be possible if African universities create space for intra-Africa university collaborations, including collaborative degrees of various kinds.’’