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07 May 2025 | Story Precious Shamase | Photo Supplied
Dr Regret Sunge
Dr Regret Sunge – the newly rated NRF Y2 academic.

The University of the Free State (UFS) is proud to announce that Dr Regret Sunge, Lecturer in the Department of Economics and Finance within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, has been awarded a prestigious Y2 rating by the National Research Foundation (NRF). This significant achievement highlights Dr Sunge's exceptional potential as a rising leader in the field of economics and finance.

The NRF Y2-rating is bestowed upon young researchers, typically under the age of 40 and within five years of obtaining their PhD, who have demonstrated considerable potential to establish themselves as leaders in their area of expertise. Dr Sunge's inclusion among the 3,8% of newly rated researchers in South Africa highlights the quality and impact of his work.

Dr Sunge expressed his excitement, stating, "I am thrilled to have received the NRF Y2-rating for the period 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2030. Receiving such recognition through this meticulous process in the field of Economics and Finance – which has a share of only 4,9% of total rated researchers – is even more amazing." He further emphasised the rigorous nature of the NRF rating process, and the insightful feedback received.

 

Factors contributing to this recognition

Dr Sunge attributes his success to a combination of personal dedication, collaborative efforts, and institutional support. His PhD thesis provided a strong foundation, with three of the five reviewed papers originating from this work. Subsequent research collaborations with international peers fostered during his PhD journey further enriched his research by integrating the critical fields of agricultural production and environmental sustainability. The growing number of citations his work has received speaks to its increasing relevance and impact.

The academic also acknowledged the significant influence of key individuals on his research journey, including his PhD supervisor, Prof Nicholas NgepahDr Delphin Kamanda Espoir – a research partner, and his postdoctoral host, Dr Calvin Mudzingiri.

Beyond academic research, Dr Sunge's engagement in research consultation with regional and international organisations has played a vital role. In 2022, he formed a team within the United Nations Young Economists Network (UN-YEN) to study Africa's macroeconomic growth. Additionally, he contributed as a research assistant to the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the African Union Commission (AUC) for their annual Africa Development Dynamics (AfDD) publication.

Dr Sunge also highlighted the crucial institutional support he received from the University of the Free State, specifically the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) on the Qwaqwa Campus, where he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the time of application.

 

Impact of the NRF rating on research standing

The Y2 rating is already proving to be a catalyst for Dr Sunge's research endeavours. "It’s a motivator, I am more confident, and it has greatly enhanced my CV," he noted. He anticipates that this recognition will unlock opportunities for further collaborations and access to competitive research grants and funding programmes, both nationally and internationally.

Furthermore, Dr Sunge's achievement while based on the Qwaqwa Campus enhances the University of the Free State's reputation for supporting young researchers and fostering excellence across all its campuses. His rating serves as a significant source of inspiration for his colleagues on the Qwaqwa Campus, particularly within EMS, where NRF-rated researchers are still few. Dr Sunge hopes that his success will encourage colleagues in the faculty to pursue similar achievements through commitment, dedication, and collaboration.

 

Research focus and its importance

Dr Sunge's research primarily focuses on the intersection of agricultural production and environmental sustainability. His work addresses the critical challenge of ensuring food security amid the growing impact of climate change in a sustainable manner. Recognising the dual challenge of increasing agricultural output to combat food insecurity while mitigating climate change, his research aims to inform environmentally sustainable agrifood systems in South Africa and beyond.

Specifically, his research holds local relevance for Phuthaditjhaba, where livestock agriculture is a significant part of the local economy, with the potential to contribute to more sustainable livelihoods. Utilising a range of econometric methodologies, his research approach is adaptable to various fields of study, facilitating collaboration with researchers from diverse backgrounds.

Acknowledging the dynamic nature of research in economics, particularly in econometrics and data analysis, Dr Sunge emphasises the importance of continuous learning through conferences and workshops. He aims to further develop his econometric and critical thinking skills, as well as sharpen his writing abilities, to elevate his research to new heights.

 

Future research trajectory

Looking ahead, Dr Sunge envisions a research trajectory that combines academic rigour with impactful societal engagement. This involves identifying research problems, providing in-depth academic analysis, and developing solutions that directly benefit communities. His future includes initiating research-based interventions and conducting impact assessments. Achieving this vision necessitates securing research grants, supervising postgraduate students, and actively engaging in community initiatives.

 Over the next five years, Dr Sunge aims to transition from a Y2 to a C-rated researcher, a goal that requires careful planning to balance his research and teaching responsibilities. While committed to advancing his research, Dr Sunge remains passionate about teaching and ensuring that his research activities enhance, rather than detract from, his classroom engagement.

 Dr Sunge’s achievement of the NRF Y2-rating is a significant milestone, both for his personal career and for the University of the Free State. His dedication, collaborative spirit, and impactful research focus serve as an inspiration to colleagues and aspiring economists alike. As Dr Sunge eloquently stated, "My word to aspiring economists, especially from marginalised circumstances, is that with the right mindset, commitment and dedication, we can be counted."

News Archive

Gender bias still rife in African Universities
2007-08-03

 

 At the lecture were, from the left: Prof. Magda Fourie (Vice-Rector: Academic Planning), Prof. Amina Mama (Chair: Gender Studies, University of Cape Town), Prof. Engela Pretorius (Vice-Dean: Humanties) and Prof. Letticia Moja (Dean: Faculty of Health Sciences).
Photo: Stephen Collett

Gender bias still rife in African Universities

Women constitute about 30% of student enrolment in African universities, and only about 6% of African professors are women. This is according to the chairperson of Gender Studies at the University of Cape Town, Prof Amina Mama.

Prof Mama was delivering a lecture on the topic “Rethinking African Universities” as part of Women’s Day celebrations at the University of the Free State (UFS) today.

She says the gender profile suggests that the majority of the women who work in African universities are not academics and researchers, but rather the providers of secretarial, cleaning, catering, student welfare and other administrative and support services.

She said that African universities continue to display profound gender bias in their students and staffing profiles and, more significantly, are deeply inequitable in their institutional and intellectual cultures. She said women find it difficult to succeed at universities as they are imbued with patriarchal values and assumptions that affect all aspects of life and learning.

She said that even though African universities have never excluded women, enrolling them presents only the first hurdle in a much longer process.

“The research evidence suggests that once women have found their way into the universities, then gender differentiations continue to arise and to affect the experience and performance of women students in numerous ways. Even within single institutions disparities manifest across the levels of the hierarchy, within and across faculties and disciplines, within and between academic and administrative roles, across generations, and vary with class and social background, marital status, parental status, and probably many more factors besides these”, she said.

She lamented the fact that there is no field of study free of gender inequalities, particularly at postgraduate levels and in the higher ranks of academics. “Although more women study the arts, social sciences and humanities, few make it to professor and their research and creative output remains less”, she said.

Prof Mama said gender gaps as far as employment of women within African universities is concerned are generally wider than in student enrolment. She said although many women are employed in junior administrative and support capacities, there continues to be gross under-representation of women among senior administrative and academic staff. She said this disparity becomes more pronounced as one moves up the ranks.

“South African universities are ahead, but they are not as radically different as their policy rhetoric might suggest. A decade and a half after the end of apartheid only three of the 23 vice-chancellors in the country are women, and women fill fewer than 30% of the senior positions (Deans, Executive Directors and Deputy Vice-Chancellors)”, she said.

She made an observation that highly qualified women accept administrative positions as opposed to academic work, thus ensuring that men continue to dominate the ranks of those defined as ‘great thinkers’ or ‘accomplished researchers’.

“Perhaps women simply make realistic career choices, opting out of academic competition with male colleagues who they can easily perceive to be systematically advantaged, not only within the institution, but also on the personal and domestic fronts, which still see most African women holding the baby, literally and figuratively”, she said

She also touched on sexual harassment and abuse which she said appears to be a commonplace on African campuses. “In contexts where sexual transactions are a pervasive feature of academic life, women who do succeed are unlikely to be perceived as having done so on the basis of merit or hard work, and may be treated with derision and disbelief”, she said.

She, however, said in spite of broader patterns of gender and class inequality in universities, public higher education remains a main route to career advancement and mobility for women in Africa.

“Women’s constrained access has therefore posed a constraint to their pursuit of more equitable and just modes of political, economic and social development, not to mention freedom from direct oppression”, she said.

Prof Mama concluded by saying, “There is a widely held agreement that there is a need to rethink our universities and to ensure that they are transformed into institutions more compatible with the democratic and social justice agendas that are now leading Africa beyond the legacies of dictatorship, conflict and economic crisis, beyond the deep social divisions and inequalities that have characterised our history”.

She said rethinking universities means asking deeper questions about gender relations within them, and taking concerted and effective action to transform these privileged bastions of higher learning so that they can fulfil their pubic mandate and promise instead of lagging behind our steadily improving laws and policies.

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt.stg@ufs.ac.za  
02 August 2007
 

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