SA, Ireland strengthen cooperation in education and innovation
Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has described his recent visit to Ireland as an important step in aligning the education and innovation ecosystems of South Africa and Ireland toward shared global development goals.
Image: Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela via SAnews.gov.za on Facebook
Manamela returned to South Africa following an official visit to Ireland last Wednesday, as part of the delegation accompanying President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The official visit consolidated the long-standing and strong relationship between South Africa and Ireland, particularly in science and innovation, higher education and skills development, and trade and investment.
On the eve of the official visit, Manamela and International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola, visited Dogpatch Labs, one of Ireland’s leading innovation and start-up hubs.
The visit highlighted the Irish Tech Challenge South Africa, a partnership initiative driven by the Embassy of Ireland that identifies and supports high-potential South African tech entrepreneurs whose work aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“This initiative demonstrates how collaboration in technology and innovation can empower young African innovators and advance our shared commitment to inclusive development,” Manamela said.
Manamela also held a bilateral meeting with Ireland’s Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Niall Lawless, focusing on expanding cooperation in:
- Stem (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) teaching and research,
- Lecturer development and exchange programmes,
- Joint academic initiatives on Ireland’s role during the anti-apartheid movement, and
- The development of a Memorandum of Intent to formalise cooperation in higher education, innovation, and research.
The two Ministers also discussed Ireland’s participation in the upcoming G20 Education Working Group, which South Africa will host in Mpumalanga next week.
As part of the broader engagement with the President’s business roundtable, Manamela explored opportunities for Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) and skills-to-work transition programmes with Irish companies based in South Africa, particularly in manufacturing, agro-processing, and high-technology sectors.
Academic collaboration
The Minister also met with a group of over 20 academics and researchers at Trinity College Dublin, where Professor Kader Asmal once taught law before returning to South Africa to serve as Minister of Education.
Discussions focused on strengthening cooperation between Trinity College and South African universities, including the University of Johannesburg, Wits University, the University of the Western Cape, and Sefako Makgatho University, in fields such as immunology, creative arts, economics, and history.
Both sides agreed to build on existing collaborations and design joint research and postgraduate supervision programmes that reflect the enduring intellectual and moral ties between the two nations.
The visit also included discussions on expanding the Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme, which has supported over 130 South African graduates to pursue postgraduate studies in Ireland since its establishment in 2013.
“This partnership goes beyond symbolism. It embodies the spirit of solidarity that Ireland extended during the anti-apartheid struggle, now renewed through shared investment in science, technology, and education.
“We are building a bridge between our histories of solidarity and our futures of shared innovation. The work ahead, through the proposed Memorandum of Intent will deepen cooperation in science, technology, innovation, and human development for the mutual benefit of both our nations,” Manamela said.