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UFS students claim top honours in 2025 SDG Challenge South Africa

12 November 2025 | Story Vuyelwa Nkoi | Photo Supplied

A dynamic team of students from the University of the Free State (UFS) has secured first place in the 2025 SDG Challenge South Africa – a prestigious competition that unites students and industry partners in addressing real-world issues aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). This outstanding achievement celebrates the creativity, collaboration, and strong commitment of UFS students to building a more sustainable and inclusive future.

Hosted by Soapbox South Africa, the SDG Challenge pairs student teams with industry experts to co-design practical solutions to pressing societal needs. Competing against leading institutions – including the University of Pretoria, University of Zululand, University of Johannesburg, the University of the Witwatersrand, and the University of KwaZulu-Natal – the UFS students distinguished themselves with a community-driven, scalable approach.

The winning UFS team consisted of Almaré de Bruin, Njabulo Dlamini, and Vuyelwa Nkoi from the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, as well as Hanipher Mili and Gugulethu Nhlapho from the Department of Agricultural Economics – reflecting a powerful interdisciplinary collaboration.

Innovative Agrihub solution for community sustainability

Partnering with Ivanplats mine, the students developed a holistic solution to reduce food insecurity and promote environmental sustainability in resource-limited communities in Mokopane.

Their innovative project, built around a WhatsApp-based Agrihub, enables agricultural knowledge sharing, market access, and community engagement. The solution included the following:

A WhatsApp Agrihub platform for real-time agricultural support
An Implementation Manual for community rollout
A low-cost irrigation prototype designed for small-scale gardens
A scalable model for replication in other communities
A final showcase presentation demonstrating its feasibility and long-term impact

To reduce surplus produce waste and create entrepreneurial opportunities, the team also produced value-added products – including pickled beetroot and carrot preserves – in the UFS food lab.

The Agrihub doubles as a community marketplace where residents can sell both fresh produce and recyclables. A R20 subscription fee supports local facilitators and content creators, promoting sustainability and community ownership.

Their project advances multiple UNSDGs, notably Zero Hunger, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, and Decent Work and Economic Growth.

“This victory is a testament to the calibre of our students and the mentorship they receive,” says Prof JW Swanepoel from the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development. “Their innovative thinking and commitment to real-world impact reflect the values of the University of the Free State.”

The UFS team’s success not only underscores their potential as emerging leaders in sustainability, but it also affirms the university’s growing role in driving development and resilience across African communities.

News Archive

Launch of the Africa office of the IIDE

2006-05-25

Attending the launch of the Africa office of the IIDE were from the left Prof Sytse Strijbos (Chairperson of IIDE Europe), Rev Kiepie Jaftha (Chairperson of the IIDE in Africa’s Board of Directors and Chief Director: Community Service at the UFS) and Prof Frederick Fourie (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS).

Attending the launch were from the left Prof Lucius Botes (Director: Centre of Development Support at the UFS), Dr Samuel Kareithi (Head: Community Development at the Cornerstone Christian College, Cape Town), Rev Kiepie Jaftha (Chairperson of the IIDE in Africa’s Board of Directors and Chief Director: Community Service at the UFS), Prof Sytse Strijbos (Chairperson of IIDE Europe) and Dr Ezekiel Moraka (Vice-Rector: Student Affairs at the UFS).

Africa office of IIDE launched on UFS main campus

The Africa office of the International Institute for Development and Ethics (IIDE) was today (26 May 2006) launched on the Main Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein.

“The IIDE specialises in the studying and research of general questions of developmental theory and practices and provides services and support in education, strategic planning, policy formulation, advocacy and capacity building of development agencies,” said Rev Kiepie Jaftha, Chairperson of the IIDE in Africa’s Board of Directors and Chief Director: Community Service at the UFS.

According to Rev Jaftha the IIDE in Africa will focus on the conceptual and normative aspects of developmental processes in Sub-Saharan Africa. “We want to foster local and international partnerships with various relevant role-players in civil society, the private sector and public sector in the SACD region and later expand our operations to the rest of Africa,” said Rev Jaftha.

The IIDE in Africa cooperates with a similar foundation in Europe, functioning as the IIDE Europe. This institute was founded in 2003 and its head office is situated in the Netherlands. The UFS is a funder of the IIDE in Africa together with the Paul Foundation and private sponsors from the Netherlands.

“We have already started with various projects which are in various stages of implementation,” said Rev Jaftha. Some of these projects include, among others, the broadening of the master’s degree in Christian Studies of Science and Society (MACSSS) which is currently housed at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam to tertiary institutions in South Africa such as the UFS, the University of Stellenbosch and the Potchefstroom Campus of the Northwest University.

“Another project is an investigation into the possibility of initiating a broad development initiative in the poverty stricken Qwaqwa area. This initiative will attempt to concentrate on issues like the training and empowerment of prospective entrepreneurs in the region, the identification of prospective entrepreneurs for the rendering of development support and the monitoring of the impact of information and communication technology on local communities during the implementation of sustainable development initiatives,” said Rev Jaftha.

“The establishment of the Africa office of the IIDE on the UFS Main Campus is an indication of one of the aims of the UFS to play a role in South Africa and Africa. It also signifies our aim to contribute meaningfully to research and development and to establish links between the academe and practice,” said Rev Jaftha.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
26 May 2006

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