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29 March 2023 | Story Samkelo Fetile | Photo Simba Matema
MoU Latest News
From left to right: Prof Jean Bernard Lekana-Douki, Director General at the CIRMF; Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS; and Prof Jean-Fabrice Yala, Scientific and Technical Director at the CIRMF.

The University of the Free State (UFS) recently welcomed senior members from the International Centre for Medical Research in Franceville (CIRMF), Gabon to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two entities.

CIRMF is a non-profit medical research centre that was established in 1974. Its primary focus is on diagnosing infectious diseases that pose immediate problems in Gabon and the Central African sub-region. The centre is dedicated to improving public health through various initiatives, including the training of Gabonese health executives in doctoral and post-doctoral education.

“The signing of the MoU with CIRMF is a step in the right direction as the UFS continues to strengthen its footprint on the African Continent. This is seminal in driving the university’s internationalisation processes and opening an avenue to expanding research networks, especially in the African continent,” said Bonolo Makhalemele, Coordinator of strategic projects at the Office for International Affairs, UFS.

In the interest of developing broader research collaborations, the CIRMF delegation met with some UFS academics in a series of engagements, particularly in the Health Sciences Faculty and the Natural and Agricultural Sciences Faculty. “The integration of knowledge and practices that emanate from the continent provides opportunities for the co-creation of knowledge that can be shared with the rest of the world,” said Kagiso Ngake, Coordinator for Partnerships, Collaborative Degrees, and Outgoing Mobility at the Office for International Affairs, UFS.

A concrete roadmap was established to formalise the collaborations that resulted from these engagements and will commence as soon as April 2023. “We have laid a solid foundation and are on the way to a strong and rich partnership!” exclaimed Prof Jean Bernard Lekana-Douki, Director General at the CIRMF.

Prof Francis Petersen, Rector, and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, further highlighted how the newly established partnership with the CIRMF aligns with the mandate of the UFS Vision 130 of expanding the UFS Africa research network.

News Archive

Judge Deon van Zyl donates prominent collection of legal books to the UFS
2009-12-08

 His Honourable Judge Deon van Zyl, Inspecting Judge of Prisons recently donated his collection history of law books, including valuable editions of Roman Dutch law resources and works on Roman law and history of law to the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS). “I trust that this will be of use as aids for research and training in law,” Judge Van Zyl said.

This is the biggest collection ever that the faculty received.

Prof. Johan Henning, Dean of the Faculty of Law says this collection is of invaluable worth for the faculty as well as the UFS. This unique source will enables the faculty to place postgraduate learning and research about the common law on a much higher level. “Without this collection the faculty will have been much poorer,” Prof. Henning said.

Judge Van Zyl made this donation showing his appreciation for what the Faculty has managed to accomplish over the years. At age 26, from 1 July 1971 to 31 December 1973, he was the first Head of and Professor in the Department of Roman Law and History of Law who taught in the Faculty of Law at the UFS.
Photo: Stephen Collett

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