Universities South Africa (USAf) and the Momentum Group Foundation reaffirmed their commitment to advancing entrepreneurship by signing a Memorandum of Understanding on 8 October 2025 in Pretoria. This agreement marks the launch of a strategic partnership focused on strengthening the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme.
From left (back row): Mr Nomo Khumalo (Momentum Health); Ms Salem Nyati (Momentum Group Foundation); Ms Tshego Bokaba (Momentum Group Foundation); Mr Mahlubi Chief Mabizela (USAf); Dr Edwell Gumbo (USAf). Sitting, from left: Professor Bernadene de Clercq (UNISA) and Dr Phethiwe Matutu, CEO, USAf.
The signing ceremony took place during a gala dinner at the Maslow Hotel in Menlyn, concluding the first day of the annual EDHE Lekgotla. The event, which followed a two-day Studentpreneurship Indaba, had gathered representatives from all 26 public universities in South Africa alongside government officials and industry partners. Attendees celebrated the growing momentum of entrepreneurship within higher education and witnessed the expansion of USAf’s collaborative network.
The gala event was sponsored by the Tshwane Economic Development Agency (TEDA), an entity of the City of Tshwane, whose primary objective is to accelerate the city’s economic development and position it as a globally competitive capital city in South Africa.
Partnerships as a foundation for growth
Dr Phethiwe Matutu (left), Chief Executive Officer of Universities South Africa (USAf), underscored the pivotal role of partnerships in advancing the organisation’s entrepreneurship development agenda. She articulated USAf’s clear vision and its confidence in the strengths it brings to the higher education sector. The CEO identified the establishment of ecosystems within universities as the primary focus, adding that this requires partnerships to create environments for thriving entrepreneurship.
She said USAf was making good progress on forming industry and other partnerships. Regarding the relationships already formed with business and philanthropic organisations, Dr Matutu mentioned the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, the SAB Foundation, the British Council, Standard Bank and Absa Bank. She said adding the Momentum Group Foundation to this network represents another milestone in advancing entrepreneurship in higher education.
Dr Matutu said the unfolding relationship would expand what the Momentum Group had already achieved through their institutional training programmes. “The collaboration will begin with a Memorandum of Understanding, followed by contracts for specific programmes as they are developed and approved.”
Momentum’s track record and commitment
Representing the Momentum Group Foundation, Mr Nomo Khumalo (right), Head of Strategic Landscape Analytics at Momentum Health, said his organisation’s involvement underscored a shared belief in partnerships aimed at creating opportunities for young people.
“Tonight, we gather not just to mark a milestone and a great dinner, but to celebrate the strength and promise of a great collaboration,” he said.
He then outlined the Momentum Group’s commitment to empowering South African youth by equipping them with skills and knowledge to thrive in the economy. The Foundation focuses on providing young South Africans with tools and opportunities for success, whether through employment or entrepreneurship, as part of its contribution to addressing youth unemployment. He said they recognise that addressing youth unemployment requires building capacity. “It requires nurturing entrepreneurship and providing financial literacy. That is why our consumer financial education programme has reached more than 60,000 young people across the country,” he said.
The Foundation has trained more than 2,200 young individuals and successfully placed more than 1,500 young people in what Khumalo described as sustainable environments. They have also supported 84 entrepreneurs in creating their own businesses.
He explained that each figure he had cited represented a young individual equipped with the skills to either gain employment or launch a business. Quoting renowned management consultant Peter Drucker, Khumalo remarked, “The best way to predict the future is to create it,” noting that this forward-thinking mindset had motivated their decision to collaborate with USAf through the EDHE initiative.
“No single entity can solve the unemployment challenge by itself. It requires a collective effort, shared resources and an aligned commitment. The Momentum Group Foundation and Universities South Africa each bring unique strengths to this collaboration. Together we stand to create a greater impact that neither one of us could achieve on our own,” he said.
He called on stakeholders across government, academia, business, and civil society to continue building connections to ensure that opportunities reach all young South Africans. He said the Momentum Group Foundation stood ready to scale its efforts through the partnership with USAf and many other organisations. He thus implored those in attendance to use the launch event as a springboard for collaboration, sharing ideas, and creating pathways to opportunity.
Recognising EDHE partners and contributors
In closing the event, Dr Edwell Gumbo, Director of Entrepreneurship at USAf, acknowledged the partners and sponsors who make EDHE’s work possible. He began by celebrating the EDHE community members from all 26 universities present at the event.
Dr Gumbo (left) emphasised the importance of recognising the collective contribution of partners, noting that their belief in USAf and EDHE’s vision has been instrumental in enabling the programme’s growth and national impact. He acknowledged the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) as the main funder of EDHE through the University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP), while also saluting the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the DTIC) for their continued collaboration in advancing entrepreneurship through the export readiness programme.
He further expressed appreciation to Absa Bank for its strategic investment across four flagship initiatives: the Studentpreneurs Indaba, the EDHE Absa Innovation Challenge, the Entrepreneurship Education in Schools Initiative, and the Embedding Entrepreneurship in the Curriculum Project executed through the Fulbright Specialist Workshops earlier in 2025.
These initiatives collectively strengthen the entrepreneurial pipeline from schools to universities, promoting innovation, employability, and curriculum transformation.
Dr Gumbo also recognised the SAB Foundation for its catalytic role in enabling inclusive entrepreneurship programmes and supporting early-stage innovators, as well as Standard Bank for its continued support towards the establishment and operationalisation of Entrepreneurship Activation Offices (EAOs) across South Africa’s public universities, a key milestone in institutionalising entrepreneurship within the higher education system.
He hailed the corporate and philanthropic partners in attendance before going on to mention partners in the 2025 EDHE Studentpreneurship and Lekgotla, namely the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Origin Labs, and the Alliance for Entrepreneurial Universities in Africa. He also acknowledged TEDA for making this gala possible, as well as the National Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), which had donated a laptop to each of the student participants in the Studentpreneurship Indaba, that had just concluded the day before at UNISA. Dr Gumbo thus called for a round of applause for these entities’ contributions.
“Because of your partnership, we are witnessing a new culture of inclusive, innovative and deeply intentional entrepreneurship taking root on our campuses,” he said.
From Left: Ms Jayde Barends, Chairperson: EDHE Community of Practice (CoP) for the Economic Activation Office (EAO) at Sol Plaatje University; Mr Samkelo Ndlovu, Deputy Chair: EDHE Studentpreneurs CoP at the University of Zululand; Ms Elizabeth Masoleng, Deputy Chairperson: EDHE CoP for Student Entrepreneurship Coordinators; Ms Karen Snyman, Chairperson: EDHE CoP for Student Entrepreneurship Coordinators; Professor Keolebogile Motaung, Chairperson: EDHE CoP for Entrepreneurship Research; Professor Bulelwa Nguza-Nduba, Deputy Chair: EDHE CoP for Entrepreneurial Universities at the Walter Sisulu University; Professor Tsidi Mohapeloa, Chairperson: EDHE CoP for Teaching and Learning, Rhodes University.
Dr Gumbo also extolled the chairpersons of universities’ various Communities of Practice, recognising their dedication to the EDHE Programme notwithstanding the substantive workload they carried in their respective portfolios.
“Your commitment reminds us that leadership is not about titles or positions. It is about consistency, collaboration, and contribution. You represent the heart of our community,” Dr Gumbo said, calling each one of them forward to be robed in EDHE-branded blazers.
About the EDHE Lekgotla and Studentpreneurs Indaba
The biennial EDHE Lekgotla provides a platform for entrepreneurship practitioners, academics, and stakeholders from South Africa’s 26 public universities and the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem to share knowledge, discuss challenges facing entrepreneurship in higher education, and develop strategies for advancing entrepreneurship development across the sector. The Lekgotla enables collaboration and alignment among universities, the government, civil society and corporates in the quest to build and support university entrepreneurship ecosystems.
The annual Studentpreneurs Indaba, which preceded the Lekgotla, gathers student entrepreneurs from all public universities to learn and network around venture development through combined workshops, mentorship and networking sessions, thus creating a space for emerging entrepreneurs to connect with peers, mentors, and potential partners.
Rotating among USAf’s member institutions every second year, this year’s events were hosted at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria. Dr Gumbo said the call to host the 2027 EDHE Lekgotla would be announced in the first quarter of 2026, allowing universities more than a year to plan and budget for the event.
He expressed gratitude to UNISA and the City of Tshwane for hosting the 2025 event, noting that the standard set at the Gala Dinner had demonstrated that working within budget constraints does not impede excellence and class.
Nqobile Tembe is Universities South Africa’s Communication Consultant.