South Africa’s Higher Education and Training Minister, Buti Manamela, hailed a recent visit to Ireland as a pivotal step in deepening collaboration between the two nations in education, innovation, and skills development.
The visit, part of a delegation led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, underscored the strong bilateral relationship between South Africa and Ireland, with a focus on advancing shared global development goals.
Manamela, alongside International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola, toured Dogpatch Labs, a leading Irish innovation and start-up hub, ahead of the official visit.
The visit spotlighted the Irish Tech Challenge South Africa, an Embassy of Ireland-led initiative that supports high-potential South African tech entrepreneurs whose innovations align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “This partnership empowers young African innovators and reflects our commitment to inclusive development through technology,” Manamela said.
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In a bilateral meeting with Ireland’s Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Niall Lawless, Manamela explored avenues to expand cooperation.
Key areas included enhancing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education and research, fostering lecturer development and exchange programs, and initiating joint academic projects on Ireland’s historical role in the anti-apartheid movement. The ministers also discussed formalizing ties through a Memorandum of Intent to strengthen collaboration in higher education, innovation, and research.
Further discussions highlighted Ireland’s participation in the upcoming G20 Education Working Group, which South Africa will host in Mpumalanga. Manamela also engaged with Irish companies operating in South Africa during a presidential business roundtable, exploring opportunities for Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) and skills-to-work transition programs, particularly in manufacturing, agro-processing, and high-tech sectors.
