Wednesday, 25 June 2025, saw Universities South Africa (USAf), through its Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme, formalise a groundbreaking R5.5 million partnership with Absa Bank, aimed at creating a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem across South Africa’s 26 public universities. The day’s centrepiece was the launch of the EDHE-Absa Innovation Challenge, one of four project focus areas within the partnership, offering over R1 million in prize money.
The launch took place at the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT), a deliberate venue choice at a historically disadvantaged institution in Umlazi, a township in Durban.