The 2024 Studentpreneur of the Year’s life one year on – he’s now a CEO with global collaborations

The last time Emmanuel Kiyonga was on the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity Awards stage, he was a student. Now the dynamic 29-year-old is the CEO of his own company, Emmaceutics, taking the pharmaceutical world by storm.

Mr Kiyonga (above), who won the EDHE Studentpreneur of the Year title in 2024, was invited to address finalists and winners at the seventh annual EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity event outside Johannesburg on November 26.

He began: “In 2024, I was just an ordinary Master’s student in the School of Pharmacy at the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU). Now, I am a celebrity pharmacist,” he laughed. “This is the extraordinary power of EDHE and those who support it.”

The Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) is a programme of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). It is administered and implemented by Universities South Africa (USAf), the custodian of the annual EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity. EDHE is predominantly funded through the University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP) of the DHET.

The Intervarsity is a platform designed to identify, recognise and celebrate top student entrepreneurs at South Africa’s 26 public universities. The event has, over the years, enjoyed the support of numerous private sector entities, including the SAB Foundation, which, in 2025, supported the initiative for the sixth year in a row.

In 2024, Kiyonga’s cancer and osteoporosis drug discovery with the potential to change millions of lives won him the Studentpreneur 2024 title, which opened doors on a global scale, he said. The Raloxifene Solvate Hydrate’s founder won a R100 000 prize that funded his navigation through the regulatory red tape he faced before taking his drug to market. The win also earned him the honour of registering SMU’s first patent.

“And this, in turn, led in 2025 to the start of Emmaceutics, a pharmaceutical research and development company focused on the design, synthesis, formulation, production, distribution and sales of innovative pharmaceutical products,” he explains.

“We are pioneering groundbreaking research that utilises innovative drug formulation and cutting-edge synthesis technologies to make life-saving treatments accessible to all.

“At Emmaceutics, we believe that groundbreaking science should translate into real-world solutions that improve and save lives. Our mission is to make advanced healthcare accessible to everyone, regardless of their economic circumstances. By 2030, we aim to have developed multiple breakthrough therapies that significantly impact global health outcomes, particularly in underserved communities and developing nations.

“The drug called Raloxifene is used in the treatment of cancer and osteoporosis. But it is too expensive. It has poor water solubility, viability (ability to penetrate the system) and therefore poor efficacy. This is where my award-winning innovation in the form of Raloxifene Hydrochloride Solvate-Hydrate came in – offering better performance through better solubility, absorption and efficacy.

“We are now on the path to commercialisation. This year, we secured patents and filed our Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), a passport to securing international patent applications, and one of the first to come out of South Africa, I am delighted to say.”

He also detailed other drug research that Emmaceutics is undertaking:

• Development of the nyaupe (Whooga) antagonist drug, which blocks the effects of nyaupe and will be used in addiction treatment.
• Development of a dysmenorrhea (period pains) drug to alleviate the pain and symptoms associated with severe period cramps.
• Development of a lung cancer drug– a novel therapeutic agent to kill or halt the growth of cancerous lung cells.
• Formulation of a drug to treat Pica, a condition that urges especially pregnant women to eat soil. Ongoing research includes identifying the correct dosage of available Pica treatment.

Says Kiyonga: “We are determined to grow big in South African pharmaceutics; to generate products and export them around the world. We are already partnering with companies in the UK willing to support us with clinical trials. Most local pharmaceutical companies currently source drugs manufactured in India or China, with little research and development happening here. That is where Emmaceutics came in: to support our own researchers and revolutionise our industry.

“My 2024 win, and the resulting support I have since received, changed my life. I was previously a scientist with no business knowledge. The SAB Foundation, one of the sponsors of the Intervarsity awards, offered me business training, mentorship and led me to collaborations. I am eternally grateful.”

His final word: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because of your ideas. In fact, if you are an entrepreneur and you don’t encounter discouragement, then there is something you are doing wrong.”

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