CAPE TOWN – Today, 28 May, marked the commencement of the highly anticipated Entrepreneurial Executive Leadership Workshop 2026 – a high-stakes gathering poised to reshape the future of higher education across South Africa and beyond.

Held at the befitting President Hotel in Cape Town, the workshop arrives at a critical crossroads. Universities are no longer judged solely by graduation rates or research papers. Society now demands more: innovation, economic development, employability, social impact, and inclusive growth.

“The question is no longer whether universities should engage in entrepreneurship and innovation, but how deeply and how intentionally entrepreneurship should be embedded within the DNA of our institutions,” CEO, Universities South Africa, Dr Matutu, alluded.

Immersed audience listening attentively.

At the heart of this transformation is the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme, a strategic partnership between Universities South Africa and the Department of Higher Education and Training. EDHE is not merely supporting change; it is driving it.

The programme’s mission is bold: to reposition all 26 public universities as truly entrepreneurial universities. That means moving entrepreneurship from the margins to the mainstream, not as an isolated add-on, but as a strategic, institution-wide imperative woven into:

  • Teaching and learning
  • Research and innovation
  • Student development
  • Commercialisation
  • Community engagement

With the theme “From Policy to Impact,” the 2026 workshop is laser-focused on one thing: implementation. Attendees are here to act, turning policy into measurable outcomes and potential into progress.

The lineup of respected speakers opened the Executive Leadership workshop on a high note

“The reality is that the future university must be entrepreneurial in mindset, in systems, and in outcomes. Entrepreneurial universities are better positioned to respond to rapid technological disruption, youth unemployment, changing labour markets, funding pressures, and growing societal expectations.” – Dr Edwell Gumbo, Director: Entrepreneurship – Universities South Africa

“The key question that we need to respond to at this workshop is what will it take for institutions to avoid fragmentation in order to institutionalise entrepreneurship beyond fragmented and siloed initiatives?” – Universities South Africa, CEO: Dr Phethiwe Matutu.

“A new scholarship for innovation: Just as the US innovation paradigm was shaped by military and defence imperatives, ours must be shaped by our own. The question is not whether we can, it is whether we have the courage.” – Dr Nhlanhla Msomi, Prof.Mashabela’s Special Advisor for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Cape Town
“Guided by our theme “From Policy to Impact we gather not just to reflect on a shift, but to lead it. This is a leadership platform uniting an ecosystem with a shared mission”. – Mr Mahlubi Mabizela – Director Operations & Sector Support – Universities South Africa

Gcina Nhleko is Universities South Africa’s Manager: Corporate Communications.