Universities urged to drive social transformation and sustainable development

Delivering the annual Unisa Founders' Lecture on Thursday, 20 November 2025, renowned economist and global leader in sustainable development, Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, maintained that universities are the most fundamental institutions of societal transformation for the future we want.

- 

The lecture was themed: "Solidarity, Social Justice and Reclaiming Futures: The Roles of Universities in Contested Geopolitics".

In her welcome address, Professor Puleng LenkaBula, Unisa Principal and Vice-Chancellor (VC), remarked: "This lecture is testament to the excellent and progressive work that the university has been undertaking." She commended the commitment of the keynote speaker, Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, to lifelong ideas, intellectual pursuit, and transformation, as well as the willingness to collaborate with other scholars, especially in tackling sustainable development matters.

The VC maintained that it is crucial for Africa and the Global South as a whole to engage critically in matters of social justice and solidarity for a just, peaceful, and sustainable world order, further emphasising that Africa needs to reclaim its position in the world. She also affirmed that universities are crucial institutions that must be invested in to change the plight of society through science, research, and technology.

Africa must be intentional about economic growth