While the annual Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Awards (which took place in Johannesburg recently) are primarily a celebration of student innovators and entrepreneurs, they also pay tribute to the universities themselves and their staff and teams who drive entrepreneurship development.

Nelson Mandela University’s Africa Hub took the EDHE Champion Award, in recognition of the institution’s exceptional support for entrepreneurship development, and Stellenbosch University’s LaunchLab was named the runner-up.

The EDHE Champion Award was a new category launched for the 2025 cycle to recognise teams and institutions rather than individual leaders. The winner receives R10 000 for their institution and a trophy.

The winner in the EDHE Entrepreneurship Learning and Teaching Excellence Award category was the University of the Free State (UFS), followed by the University of Venda (Univen) in second place, and the University of Zululand (Unizulu) taking third place.

EDHE – a programme that aims to develop the entrepreneurial capacity of university students, academics and university leaders –  is a collaboration between Universities South Africa (USAf) and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). It helps students become more economically active by providing support, hosting competitions such as the EDHE Absa Innovation Challenge and the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity, and offering programmes and initiatives that foster entrepreneurial skills.

The Mandela University Africa Hub (MUAH) was founded in 2024 to drive entrepreneurship and social innovation across the continent. Dr Thobekani Lose (above), a senior researcher, is its director. Over the past two years, MUAH raised close to R10 million, 65% of which went to the development of small, micro and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs).

MUAH actively promotes entrepreneurial development. It has developed a policy that allows students to operate businesses on campus while employing other students. Business ventures on the Gqeberha and George campuses include tutoring services, website development, food vendors, fashion stores and more. To operate a business on campus, students must sign a lease agreement with the university and pay a rental fee.

This is not MUAH’s first accolade this year: Dr Lose was the winner of the prestigious Hult Prize SA 2024/2025 University Entrepreneurship Co-ordinators’ Award at the South African National Showcase.

Dr Lose said the university was honoured for the work that the Africa Hub is doing.

“Entrepreneurship and incubation are the spark of higher education life. They transform universities from institutions that produce employment-seeking graduates into hubs that cultivate innovators and job creators. Championed by our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sibongile Muthwa, and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: People and Operations, Luthando Jack, we are committed to being an entrepreneurial university.”

He said his university would be launching the Chancellor’s Entrepreneurship Fund in 2026. This is a legacy initiative inspired by Chancellor Dr Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi’s enduring commitment to nurturing innovation and empowering the next generation of African changemakers.

Receiving the  LaunchLab Award were (from left), Ms Nadine Brink, Operations and Student Entrepreneurship Programme Coordinator, Ms Jade Meyer. Community and Facilities Coordinator, and Mr Brandon Paschal, Deputy Director: Spin-out Companies and Funds.

The Stellenbosch University (SU) LaunchLab, which began operations in 2013, empowers the institution’s entrepreneurial community to grow impactful, sustainable and profitable businesses. It also curates access to market and funding opportunities. Since 2015, the LaunchLab has incubated more than 400 businesses and raised over R980 million in capital. It boasts a R1.5 billion turnover derived from its portfolio of services and former incubatees.

Other nominees in the EDHE Champion Award category were the University of Mpumalanga’s Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator (UMPCFERI); the Tshwane University of Technology’s ICT Student Teams; the University of Cape Town’s MedTech EMECR team; the University of Limpopo’s Technology Transfer Office, and the Vaal University of Technology’s ENACTUS team.

Learning and Teaching Excellence Awards

The EDHE Entrepreneurship Learning and Teaching Excellence Awards aim to showcase new ideas and approaches for teaching and learning entrepreneurship in higher education institutions. The initiative targets academics and support professionals driving entrepreneurship development who have developed a credit-bearing entrepreneurship module, programme, course or entrepreneurial initiative.  The purpose is to share best practices in the ecosystem. The winner receives R10 000.

In the first spot was the University of the Free State’s Dr Ekaete Benedict (2nd from left, above) for enhancing graduate employability through integrated entrepreneurship education.

Second place went to Professor Lawrence Diko Makia (middle, above), at the University of Venda, for fostering an entrepreneurial mindset through learning dialogues.

Winning third place was Professor Ayansola Olatunji (middle, above), from the University of Zululand, for embedding entrepreneurship education into the institution’s curriculum.

The other nominees were The University of Johannesburg’s UJ Business Clinic (A Vehicle for Student Entrepreneurship/Diploma: Small Business Management, Dr Lawrance Seseni); University of Mpumalanga (C.R.E.A.T.E Model; Research-Led Agricultural Entrepreneurship, ABM402, Dr Bongie Mcata); Tshwane University of Technology (development of a Work-Integrated Learning framework in an entrepreneurial approach for somatology at a university of technology, Mr Tsabuki Makou) and University of Johannesburg (Work Integrated Learning for Entrepreneurial Strategy Implementation ESI03YC at the iZindaba Zokudla 2025, Professor Naude Malan).

Recognition at the awards ceremony was also given to contributions of the National Chairpersons and Deputy Chairpersons of the EDHE Communities of Practice (CoP), as well as to Institutional Student Entrepreneurship and SWEEP (Student Women Economic Empowerment Programme) coordinators of 2025.

Janine Greenleaf Walker is a contract writer for Universities South Africa.