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17 September 2021 | Story Nitha Ramnath

Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Free State, South Africa, invites us to rethink our relationship with the world in a series of ‘Courageous Conversations’ on the theme of ‘The Global Citizen’. Prof Petersen argues that COVID-19 has been a powerful ‘disruptor’ – it was a stark reminder of the need to rethink our identity, of where we belong, our ‘normative’ view of citizenship – if we want to secure long-term survival of our civilisation and the environments that support it.

Global Citizen and the role of Digital Futures – Monday, 27 September - 13:30 SAST / 12:30 BST 

How we turn information into intelligence is the subject of SACC’s next ‘Courageous Conversation’ with University of the Free State Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen, in his series debating ‘The Global Citizen’.  “I believe the world needs multi-disciplinary solutions to its global problems.  For this reason, I established the Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures at the University of the Free State as part of my vision to infuse the natural and social sciences and the humanities with everything that digital brings to a multi-disciplinary approach in order to solve real-world problems through the power of big-data analysis,” says Prof Petersen.

Prof Philippe Burger, the UFS Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Poverty, Inequality, and Economic Development, together with Prof Katinka de Wet and Herkulaas Combrink, the interim co-directors of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures, will join Prof Petersen to discuss the value that such an approach can bring to finding solutions to real-world problems. They will also share information on some of the exciting projects of international relevance that they are working on. Agriculture and food security, medicine, and attitudes to issues such as, for example, vaccination, education, governance, and ethics are key foci of the centre.

Join us to find out how big-data analysis and a multi-disciplinary approach can transform understanding and deliver solutions to some of the challenges we face as citizens of the world.  

To RSVP click here 


The Global Citizen Courageous Conversations series

In partnership with the South African Chamber of Commerce based in the United Kingdom, the Global Citizen Courageous Conversations series that was launched on 26 May 2021, brings together powerful voices from public life, intellectuals, public interest and business leaders, academics, naturalists, religious leaders, astrophysicists, economists, ecologists, and others.

If you missed our previous Global Citizen Courageous Conversations, you can watch the replay on YouTube, or visit the South African Chamber of Commerce website for the recordings. 


News Archive

UFS DiMTEC will help compile national emergency management system
2017-10-11

Description: UFS DiMTEC will help compile national emergency management system Tags: UFS DiMTEC will help compile national emergency management system

Preparedness and response are the two most important aspects of managing disaster when it strikes. Prof Andries Jordaan, Head of the Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (DiMTEC) at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently attended an incident command course in California in the US.

Learning from US disaster management systems
More than 20 specialists from 17 countries attended the course where participants were introduced to the National Incident Management System (NIMS) in the US. The system was implemented after lessons learned during 9/11. “According to the NIMS structure, all government organisations at all levels as well as emergency agencies had to standardise terminology and systems,” said Prof Jordaan.

The professor also had the opportunity to visit among others the Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) headquarters in California, some State Coordination Centres as well as several other disaster management centres. He also had the chance to shadow an Incident Management Team (IMT) during active operations.

Providing training for local disaster management
Insight gained during this course, as well as Prof Jordaan’s experience as senior officer in the South African National Defence Reserve Forces, provided him the necessary background to conduct training and give assistance in terms of disaster management.

Through DiMTEC Prof Jordaan will assist the National Disaster Management Centre with the implementation of a national emergency management system. He will also provide training for incident management teams.

“DiMTEC is currently also in the process of developing a Master module in disaster response. Command and control and Incident Command will form a sub-module in the disaster response module,” he said.

From South Africa, Prof Jordaan was joined on the course by General Elias Mpumelelo Mahlabane from the South African Police Services, who is responsible for disaster management in the SAPS. Savage Breytenbach, a trainer in rural fire fighting who assists Mangaung with command and control structures, also attended the course.

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