Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

UFS student attends COP27 Simulation Model in Egypt

26 September 2022 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Supplied

Letsatsi Lekhooa, a UFS student who was selected to be part of the COP27 Simulation Model.

Nearly 150 students from across the world will gather in Egypt for the COP27 Simulation Model from 9 September to mid- October 2022. Among them will be Letsatsi Lekhooa, a Master of Science student specialising in Climate Change from the University of the Free State (UFS).

Lekhooa was one of 150 students from a pool of more than 1 800 applicants across the world who were selected to be part of this prestigious initiative. “This opportunity is appealing, because as young people we need to work hard to not only ensure that we break through walls, but to also represent our university well everywhere we go,” Lekhooa indicated.

The COP27 Simulation Model

The COP27 Simulation Model, which is organised by the British University in Egypt along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is a worldwide climate conference led by and targeted at the youth. The conference is important for several reasons, such as encouraging conversations around climate action among the youth. As it stands, the initiative is split into two categories, which include the hybrid capacity-building programme that started in September, and the COP27 Mock Conference set to begin in October. Lekhooa is currently engaged in the online capacity-building programme, which he describes as a learning curve. “Every day I learn something new, and I enjoy it because the process is assisting me in learning more about this climate change issue,” Lekhooa expressed.

The benefits of attending the COP27 Mock Conference

Although the first leg of the COP27 Simulation Model is online, Lekhooa will get the opportunity to travel to Egypt and physically be part of the COP27 Mock Conference on the campus of the British University in Egypt. As such, he hopes to take away as much as possible from the experience. “I hope to learn about the ways in which I can better communicate this climate change issue, not only in my home country of Lesotho, but generally in Southern Africa,” said Lekhooa. Furthermore, through his interactions with international scholars, he hopes to create and encourage a collaborative spirit to battle climate change.

The experience does not only serve as a learning curve for Lekhooa, but it is also one of the key steps that will allow him to reach a life goal. “I would like to be an international consultant in bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as they play a key role in making decisions on climate change,” Lekhooa highlighted.

News Archive

UFS in forefront with ASGI-SA initiative

2006-05-10

At the conceptualisation colloquium and stakeholder dialogue were from the left Dr Aldo Stroebel (senior researcher at the UFS Research Development Directorate), Dr Edith Vries (acting Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Development Trust) and Prof Frans Swanepoel (Director: UFS Research Development Directorate).

UFS in forefront with ASGI-SA initiative

Two staff members of the University of the Free State (UFS) have been appointed as members of the advisory board of the national programme for the creation of small enterprises and jobs in the second economy. This programme forms part of government’s Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (ASGI-SA).

Prof Frans Swanepoel, Director of the UFS Research Development Directorate and Dr Aldo Stroebel, senior researcher at the UFS Research Development Directorate, are working with a team of experts from the UFS on a draft implementation strategy for the national programme. Both Prof Swanepoel and Dr Stroebel are also associated to the UFS Centre for Sustainable Agriculture.

“The strategy is being developed in collaboration with institutions like the Independent Development Trust, the Department of Agriculture, the National Development Agency and the Department of Trade and Industry,” says Prof Swanepoel.

The other team members of the UFS are Prof Basie Wessels, Director of the Mangaung-University Community Partnership Programme (MUCPP) and Mr Benedict Mokoena, project manager at the MUCPP.

Dr Stroebel was also member of the organising committee of a conceptualisation colloquium and stakeholder dialogue that was recently presented in Johannesburg. The conference was attended by more than 400 delegates from government departments, higher-education institutions and civil society, including Dr Kobus Laubscher, member of the UFS Council.

The conference was facilitated by Ms Vuyo Mahlati, previously from the WK Kellogg Foundation’s Africa programme and opened by Ms Thoko Didiza, Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs.

“The colloquium formed the basis of an induction workshop during which a group of 150 individuals (50 teams of three) from all nine provinces, identified to initiate the implementation of the national programme, was trained and orientated towards an induction manual in collaboration with Hand-in-Hand, an Indian counterpart,” says Prof Swanepoel.

Dr Stroebel and Mr Benedict Mokoena formed part of the team to conceptualise and finalise this training manual. The induction training includes a case study of a successful community self-help partnership model, namely the MUCPP at the UFS. Prof Wessels and Mr Mokoena are both playing a leading role in the further development of subsequent training initiatives throughout South Africa, in partnership with the relevant provincial departments.

“The involvement of the UFS in the programme is a compliment to us. It reflects the value government sees in the use of academics and experts in the management of the ASGI-SA initiative. It is also an indication of one of the aims of the UFS to play a role in South Africa and Africa and in the transformation and change that is taking place in our country,” says Prof Swanepoel.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
10 May 2006

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept