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University of the Free State students triumph in SDG Challenge 2023

03 November 2023 | Story André Damons | Photo SUPPLIED

SDG Competition 2023 — From left: Dr Brandon van Rooyen, Dr Anathi Makamane, Dr Yolandi Schoeman and Daniel Naudé participated and won the SDG Challenge South Africa. Pieter Bruwer is absent from the photo.

A team of exceptional students from the University of the Free State (UFS) has claimed victory in the prestigious SDG Challenge South Africa, a global competition that unites students and organisations to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). This remarkable achievement not only underscores the skill and dedication of UFS students but also reinforces their commitment to forging a more sustainable and equitable world.

The group of students from different disciplines within the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (NAS), came up with an interdisciplinary and forward-thinking approach which contributed significantly to their victory. The team members, including Pieter Bruwer, Dr Anathi Makamane, Dr Brandon van Rooyen (all from Sustainable Food Systems and Development), Daniel Naudé (Department of Agriculture Economics), as well as Dr Yolandi Schoeman (a postdoctoral fellow in the Centre for Environmental Management (CEM) from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, each brought their unique expertise to the challenge.

Prof Jan Willem Swanepoel, Associate Professor in the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development within the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, provided invaluable mentorship to the team. The students were also supported by Robyn Mellett from OMI Solutions.

Dr Schoeman says the SDG Challenge, designed to confront global challenges, connects students and organisations from across the globe, fostering collaboration towards achieving the UNSDGs, which encompass critical issues such as climate change and the reduction of global inequalities. Teams from South African universities, including the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, and the University of KwaZulu-Natal, partnered with leading companies to address specific challenges tied to their corporate missions.

Develop a waste management strategy

Team UFS joined forces with Ivanhoe Mines, a prominent mining company operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo to develop a waste management strategy for the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex. This endeavour was laden with complexities due to the limited waste management options available in the area. The challenge was not just about managing multiple waste streams from the mining complex, but also about addressing socioeconomic and biodiversity challenges stemming from the burgeoning population in the region, which led to a range of environmental concerns.

“In response, the UFS team innovatively conceived ÉcoFlotille, a solution that not only tackled essential waste management issues but also promoted biodiversity net gain. The plan extended its reach to support local agribusinesses and small and micro-enterprises through the repurposing and reuse of waste materials, while presenting a unique biofinancing opportunity. The EcoFlotille solution represents a distinctive aspect of their triumphant journey.

“ÉcoFlotille not only aligns with the SDGs but also plays a crucial role in realising the vision of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which emphasises the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Additionally, it aligns with the goals of Agenda 2063 for Africa, striving to advance the continent’s development objectives and create a prosperous and harmonious future for the region,” says Dr Schoeman.

The scalability of ÉcoFlotille across Africa holds great promise. Its innovative waste management approach and biofinancing potential could serve as a model for addressing similar challenges in diverse regions of the continent. This opens up opportunities for wider adoption and positive impacts throughout Africa.

Creating a more sustainable and equitable world

The SDG Challenge South Africa is an integral part of Soapbox’s global mission to mobilise university students and organisations in working collaboratively toward the UNSDG. These goals aim to address the world’s most pressing challenges, requiring collective efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion by 2030.

The UFS’s remarkable success in the SDG Challenge not only highlights the university’s dedication to fostering global citizenship and sustainability but also underscores the remarkable potential of its students in driving positive change in Africa and the world.

According to Dr Schoeman, the UFS team’s victory in the SDG Challenge stands as a testament to their unwavering commitment to creating a more sustainable and equitable world. Their innovative solution, ÉcoFlotille, serves as a beacon of hope, illustrating how the vigour and ingenuity of the younger generation can propel us closer to realising the UNSDG by 2030, effectively ticking all 17 SDG boxes.

Solving a real-world problem

Prof Swanepoel says the SDG Challenge is a global competition that unites students and organisations to address the UNSDGs. These goals encompass some of the most pressing challenges facing our world today, such as climate change, poverty, and inequality.

According to him, by participating in the SDG Challenge, the UFS students had the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills to solve a real-world problem experienced by one of the biggest mining houses in the world. They gained valuable experience in collaborating with the private sector.

“I am immensely proud of the students' achievement in the prestigious Soapbox SDG Challenge South Africa. Their interdisciplinary approach and forward-thinking mindset are a testament to the calibre of education and mentorship they receive at the UFS,” Prof Swanepoel says.

“Furthermore, I am confident that the skills and experience gained through the SDG Challenge will help the students to make a positive impact on the world. They are the next generation of leaders who will be responsible for addressing the complex social and environmental challenges Africa face. I also believe that coming out as victors in this competition would open more doors for them and the university in the private sector.”

News Archive

“My time at the UFS was the golden gem of my career”

2016-07-04

Description: Zig Gibson Tags: Zig Gibson

Prof Alan St Clair Gibson
Photo: Oteng Mpete

“My time at the University of the Free State (UFS) was the golden gem of my career. I have worked at medical schools or biomedical research centres in the United Kingdom, United States and at some of the top medical schools in South Africa, but working at the UFS was one of the highlights of my career,” says Prof Alan St Clair Gibson, Head of the UFS School of Medicine.

After spending just over two years at the UFS, Prof St Clair Gibson resigned from the institution in June 2016 and will take up the position of Dean: Health and Human Performance Sciences at the Waikato University in New Zealand in mid-July, where he will assist to establish a new faculty for all the health-science disciplines. “It was a privilege to work at the UFS. I come from a strong research background and wanted to grow research at the university, which I achieved. I came to the UFS because of the Academic and Human Projects and am proud of what has been achieved at the School of Medicine during the time I was here,” he said.

Prof St Clair Gibson highlighted some of these achievements, including the development of a management infrastructure across the disciplines of the school. “The establishment of an executive management committee for the school, as well as research champions in departments, highlighted the importance of proper governance and strategic management. By developing data dashboards, my management team and I could develop an understanding of research income and productivity, how the school works, what the role of teaching and learning is, and how the school could benefit in terms of third-stream income from the many contracts obtained by its academic staff. As a result, contracts and the financial management model of the school have also been reconfigured to the benefit of the university so that the institution and school can benefit from it,” he said.

His strong belief in an open-door policy has made staff feel part of the environment and it has created an atmosphere of equality and inclusivity. He believes in staff development and has, for instance, established leadership and management courses for heads of departments. Another factor to be proud of is the increase in the number of young researchers who recently joined the school, such as Prof Ross Tucker, who is one of the foremost sport scientists in the country. “It is a fact that staff retire or resign in all schools and departments of any university. It is also true that these departures offer opportunities to bring new academic and professional staff into the UFS. In fact, for the first time virtually every department in the School of Medicine now has a full-time Head of Department and 46 new staff were appointed since January 2015,” said Prof St Clair Gibson.

“I am especially proud of contributing, together with the senior leadership of the UFS, to stabilise the relationship with the Free State Department of Health (DoH). With the assistance of these parties, as well as my executive management team, we could find a better way of working together to the benefit of the school and the province.’’

Transforming the student profile to be representative of the country’s demographics is another milestone Prof St Clair Gibson will remember. “The intake of black and white students is of such a nature that we now have a much more balanced ratio of black and white undergraduate students than before.”

“I wanted to stay longer to see the effect of all the changes I made at the school, but the deanship is an offer I cannot refuse. I would have liked to see a steadier increase in the number of permanent clinical staff and have worked hard with both the UFS management and the DoH to try and achieve that; but more work needs to be done.”

I have worked with a number of fantastic staff members at the school, who are determined to do good in a challenging environment. I am amazed at the energy of the university leadership and how the Human and Academic Projects are executed. My wish for the university is to maintain and grow its standards and for the School of Medicine to maintain its reputation as one of the best schools in the country. I will always be a proud alumnus of the UFS,” he said.

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