Latest News Archive

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

UFS urban scholar Prof Ivan Turok honoured with global award

10 July 2025 | Story Tshepo Tsotetsi | Photo Supplied

Prof Ivan Turok, who holds the National Research Foundation (NRF) Chair in City-Region Economies in the Department of Economics and Finance in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), has been named a recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Service Award by the Regional Studies Association (RSA).

This international recognition celebrates Prof Turok’s significant contribution to the field of urban and regional research, both globally and on the African continent.

A longstanding member of the RSA, Prof Turok has served as Editor-in-Chief of Regional Studies and as Editor of Area Development and Policy, two of the Association’s six academic journals. He also served on the RSA Board between 2014 and 2018. The RSA is a UK-based learned society and the foremost global forum for city and regional research, development and policy. It manages six international journals, two book series, and hosts several international conferences annually. The award highlights not only his leadership in global academic spaces but also his efforts in representing scholarship from the global South.

“This recognition is a testament to the calibre of scholars within the EMS Faculty and thus significantly enhances the faculty’s research profile and global reputation,” said Prof Brownhilder Neneh, Vice-Dean for Research, Engagement and Internationalisation in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.

Championing urban development in Africa

Prof Turok’s research has focused on the economic structure and performance of cities in South Africa and across the continent. He has analysed the obstacles to faster economic growth and development and the key interventions required to support accelerated investment and job creation. These include public infrastructure investment and improved land-use management to create more functional, efficient cities.

With over 150 academic journal articles and 15 books and monographs to his name, Prof Turok is one of the most highly cited urban and regional development scholars in the world.

“Receiving the Distinguished Service Award is a great honour, particularly in representing academics from the global South,” he said. “Africa faces unprecedented challenges in managing rapid urbanisation, but also unique opportunities for cities to transform its development trajectory. More research is vital to inform the tough policy choices facing governments.”

He believes cities are “remarkable vehicles” for accelerated growth and inclusive development. “The concentration of human, private and public capital generates positive value and fosters learning, creativity, and innovation,” he added.

Improved evidence and understanding of urban economic systems and dynamics, he argues, are essential for harnessing the youthful energy of African cities. “Universities have a vital role to play in generating the knowledge, capabilities, and strategic intelligence required by governments, civil society, business, and communities to make African cities and regions more prosperous, inclusive, and resilient.”

Prof Neneh said the award reconfirms Prof Turok’s global standing in regional and urban economics. “He fills a significant gap by applying spatial economics to urban and regional development in an integrated manner – this is especially of value in Africa, where it has been neglected.”

Prof Turok encourages young scholars to explore opportunities offered by the RSA, describing it as a welcoming and dynamic space to learn, connect, and grow. “It is a very friendly and supportive forum, with various special schemes and grants to help young scholars participate in conferences, publish in journals, and learn from each other.”

News Archive

Research project gives insight into the world of the deaf

2005-11-30

Mr Akach in conversation (using sign language) with his assistant Ms Emily Matabane. Photo: Lacea Loader

UFS research project gives insight into the world of the deaf

The Sign Language Division of the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Department of Afro-Asiatic Studies and Language Practice and Sign Language has signed a bilateral research project with the universities of Ghent and Brussels to write a book on sign language.

“We want to compare the Belgium and South African sign languages with each other. The book will be about the deaf telling us about themselves and how they live. It will also focus on the use of story telling techniques and the grammar used by deaf people. We want to see if the hand forms and the grammatical markers and other linguistic features that deaf people from these two countries use are the same or not,” said Mr Philemon Akach, lecturer at the UFS Sign Language Division and coordinator of the research.

According to Mr Akach, the sign language community in South Africa, with about 600 000 deaf people who use South African Sign Language (SASL) as first language, is quite big. “Over and above the deaf people in South Africa, there are also the non-deaf who use SASL, like the children of deaf parents etc. This book can therefore be used to teach people about the deaf culture,” he added.

Another of Mr Akach’s achievements is his election as Vice-President of the newly established World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI). The association was established earlier this month during a conference in Worcester.

Mr Akach has been actively involved with sign language interpretation since 1986 and has been interpreting at the World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) since 1987. “My appointment as Vice-President of the WASLI is an emotional one. I have been involved with deaf people for so long and have been trying to create awareness and obtain recognition for sign language, especially in Africa,” said Mr Akach. WASLI is affiliated to the WFD.

According to Mr Akach there was no formal structure in the world to support sign language and sign language interpreters. “Now we have the backup of WASLI and we can convince governments in other African countries and across the world to support deaf people by supporting WASLI and therefore narrow the communication gap between the deaf and the hearing. My main aim as Vice-President is to endeavour for the recognition of sign language and spoken language interpreters as a profession by governments,” he said.

According to Mr Akach the formal training of interpreters is of vital importance. “Anybody who has a deaf person in his/her family and can communicate in sign language can claim that they are an interpreter. This is not true. It is tantamount to think that all mother tongue or first language speakers are interpreters. Likewise students who learn sign language up to whatever level and are fluent in signing, should still join an interpreter’s programme,” he said.

“Sign language interpreting is a profession and should be presented as an academic course alongside other spoken languages. The UFS has been taking the lead with sign language and spoken language interpretation and was the first university on the African continent to introduce sign language as an academic course,” he said.

“Although sign language has always been an unknown language to young people it has become quite popular in recent years. This year we had a total of 160 students at the Sign Language Section of the UFS and the numbers seem to increase steadily every year,” he said.

Mr Akach’s assistant, Ms Emily Matabane, is deaf and they communicate in sign language. Ms Matabane also handles the tutorials with students to give them hands-on experience on how to use sign language.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
30 November 2005

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