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29 March 2023
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Story Samkelo Fetile
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Photo Simba Matema
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.
Six Kovsies included in SA U/19 team
2010-05-06
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From the left are: Monique Lemon, Carmen Swanepoel, Lauren-Lee Christians, Nieke Loubser, Ané Botha, and Fikile Mkhuzangwe.
Photo: Gerhard Louw |
During the South African Netball Championships that were recently held in Richards Bay, six students from the University of the Free State (UFS) were included in the top-twenty group of players in the country.
This achievement qualified Kovsies Nieke Loubser, Lauren-Lee Christians, Ané Botha, Fikile Mkhuzangwe, Monique Lemon and Carmen Swanepoel for the U/19 team. This team will participate in the Zone-6 Games (the African Games for U/19 netball players) in Swaziland later this year.
Ms Burta de Kock from KovsieSport at the UFS, said: “With the incredible support of the university, the group could not fail to achieve this. To have six players in the South African U/19 team of fifteen is a great achievement for the university. |