17. Partnerships for the Goals

A handshake over a map of connected partners

SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals

iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu regards SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals as the overarching operational framework that underpins its identity as an impactful, technology-infused, and community-responsive African university. Recognised as a compulsory component of the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, SDG 17 evaluates how higher education institutions forge cross-sectoral, multi-stakeholder linkages with governments, international universities, industry, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and local communities to advance sustainable development.

Research Output & International Co-Authorships

Africa-Centred Research Dissemination. Through the Directorate of Research and Innovation (DRI) and Library and Information Services (LIS), iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu participates in national and international Read-and-Publish Transformative Agreements. In 2025 alone, researchers submitted 88 Open Access articles (generating R2.4 million in institutional savings), significantly elevating research visibility across Global South academic networks.
Research Niche Area (RNA) Seed Investments. The university allocates dedicated seed funding (R140,000 per niche area) across 10 approved Research Niche Areas—including African Medicinal Flora and Fauna, Risk and Vulnerability Science, and Sustainable Marine and Freshwater Economic Development (SMAFED)—to stimulate transdisciplinary research co-authored with international collaborators.
Global Young Scientist Summit Representation. Read the story. A PhD candidate from iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu represented South Africa at the Global Young Scientist Summit in 2025, showcasing the calibre of postgraduate research talent and embedding emerging scholars into global scientific networks.

International University Alliances & Cross-Border Networks

African Partnerships Universities Alliance (APUA). iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu co-leads a consortium of 10 South African higher education institutions (including DUT, UWC, UL, UJ, UNIZULU, Rhodes, CPUT, MUT, and UKZN) in the Capacity Building for Africa-Centred Internationalisation of Higher Education in South Africa (2023–2025) project. The alliance conducts joint webinars and international delegation visits to dismantle qualification barriers, build cross-border Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) frameworks, and advance decolonial higher education transformation across the African continent.
South Africa-Sweden Universities Forum (SASUF). Read the story. iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu actively participates in SASUF, a strategic bilateral collaboration linking 26 South African universities and 14 Swedish universities funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and STINT (Sweden). Delegations participated in the SASUF Research and Innovation Week in Sweden across Malmö University, Lund University, and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU Alnarp), co-developing joint research agendas for the SASUF 2025–2030 cycle.
Southern Africa-Nordic Centre (SANORD). Walter Sisulu joined the SANORD network (hosted at UWC), connecting Nordic and Southern African higher education institutions to collaborate on joint research, academic dialogue, democracy, and social equity.
Erasmus+ Partnership with Medical University of Graz (MUG), Austria. Read the story. Secured European Union Erasmus+ funding establishing a bilateral mobility framework (2024–2026). In 2024, Walter Sisulu hosted eight medical students from MUG for clinical rotations in Eastern Cape hospitals, enriching cross-cultural medical training and internationalising clinical education.
Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU), India. Read the story. A Student Affairs delegation visited MGU to modernise a bilateral MoU dating back to 2011. The updated agreement expands cooperation into artificial intelligence, digital learning, joint grant applications, student leadership exchanges, and community impact projects aligned with the UN SDGs.
Iowa State University (US) Risk & Vulnerability Engagement. Read the story. The Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre (RVSC) led an institutional delegation to Iowa State University, establishing frameworks for joint postgraduate supervision, staff exchange, and benchmarking community extension models.
Global Academic Mobility Expansion. In 2025, Walter Sisulu exceeded its key performance indicators by facilitating over 30 outbound staff mobility visits and welcoming 11 international inbound researchers (including scholars from Cambridge University and MUG). International student enrolments grew by 15%, drawing scholars from Somalia, Ethiopia, DRC, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Nigeria, and India.

National Government, SETAs & Sectoral Partnerships

Landmark Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Agreement with Office of the Premier. Walter Sisulu signed a strategic MoU with the Council for the Built Environment (CBE) and successfully negotiated an agreement with the Office of the Premier (Eastern Cape). The agreement mandates that all Eastern Cape provincial government infrastructure and development projects must incorporate Walter Sisulu Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) students, guaranteeing practical placement and boosting graduate employability.
merSETA Multi-Year R39 Million Partnership. Read the story. Concluded a landmark three-year closeout evaluation of 22 strategic projects funded through a R39 million merSETA investment, which built institutional engineering capacity, funded academic development, and cleared R17 million in historical student debt. Submitted new expansion proposals exceeding R60 million over three years.
Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) MoU Renewal. Renewed its overarching agreement with DRDAR through March 2029, collaborating on agricultural research, rural extension services, and multi-stakeholder cannabis value - chain workshops for smallholder farmers.
National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA). Partnered with NEMISA to host the 2024 Digital Skills Summit in East London (attracting >250 delegates across government, TVETs, and industry) and launched a 4-week cellphone repair and digital business training program for rural youth in Lusikisiki.
CSIR, DIRISA & SASCE Science Partnerships. Read the story. Partnered with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Data Intensive Research Initiative of South Africa (DIRISA) to host a week-long high school coding school in the OR Tambo region. Partnered with CSIR and SASCE to place 17 civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering students in cutting-edge CSIR research facilities.
Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) Oceans Laboratory. Under a national MoU under Operation Phakisa, Walter Sisulu hosts and manages the Oceans and Coasts National Pollution Monitoring Laboratory (NPL), collecting and analysing marine water quality samples across the South African coastline.
South African Military Health Services (SAMHS) Rural Healthcare Coalition. Partnered with SAMHS and the Eastern Cape Department of Health to deploy Cuban - trained medical graduates into under-resourced rural hospitals and expand specialised nursing qualifications.
NTG Solutions Scarce-Skills AI Partnership. Read the story. Faculty of Natural Sciences partnered with NTG Solutions (funded by the Department of Employment and Labour) to deliver NQF Level 5 AI and data management training for 150 unemployed youth and alumni (60% women) with monthly stipends and WIL placements.

Local Governance, Traditional Kingdoms & Community Coalitions

"Adopt-a-District" Partnership (Nyandeni Local Municipality & Royal Kingdom). Read the story. Walter Sisulu signed a tri-partite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) adopting the Nyandeni sub-district as a pilot site for the Community Engaged Scholarship Programme. It integrates traditional leadership structures (led by His Majesty King Ndamase Ndamase) with university academic, health, and agricultural expertise to drive asset - based community development.
Development Agency Collaborations. Partnered with the Buffalo City Metro Development Agency and the Alfred Nzo Development Agency on local economic development, urban planning, and community- based spatial research.
SMAFED & OR Tambo Cooperative Development Centre (OTCDC). Read the story. The SMAFED research unit partnered with OTCDC and FEWCOOP SA to construct solar - powered recirculating aquaculture systems and aquaponics farms, transferring green technologies to rural youth, women, and persons living with disabilities.
Siyaphumelela Network 3.0 Collaboration. Read the story. Walter Sisulu collaborates within the national Siyaphumelela Network to share evidence- based student success practices, leverage data analytics, and narrow equity gaps in higher education.

SDG Reporting, Curriculum Integration & Sustainability Literacy

Annual Integrated Sustainability Reporting iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu annually compiles and publishes integrated performance reports—such as the Annual Report 2024 and Annual Report 2025 —providing full public transparency on environmental stewardship, solar energy generation, financial management, equity metrics, and SDG-aligned research.
Mandatory SDG Curriculum Integration (WSU101 / Intshayelelo). Read the story. Walter Sisulu developed WSU101 (Intshayelelo), a mandatory life skills course for all first- year entering students. The curriculum is explicitly mapped against the UN SDGs, embedding Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurship (SDG 1 & 8), Ubuntu & Ethics (SDG 16), Digital Literacies (SDG 9), and Academic Literacies (SDG 4) to cultivate sustainability-minded global citizens.
Public Science Communication & Outreach. Partnered with SAASTA, Cheltenham Festivals, and Jive Media Africa to host the Vice Chancellor's FameLab Science Communication Competition, training young STEM researchers to communicate scientific research to the public.

Summary of key strategic partnerships aligned to the goals

Partner	Scope	Primary goals	What the partnership delivers
African Partnerships Universities Alliance (APUA)	Continental consortium	SDG 17, SDG 4	A 10-university South African consortium advancing Africa-centred internationalisation, collaborative online learning, and staff development.
South Africa-Sweden Universities Forum (SASUF)	International bilateral	SDG 17, SDG 13	A 40-university partnership (26 South African and 14 Swedish) driving joint research in climate resilience and sustainability.
Medical University of Graz, Austria	EU Erasmus+ mobility	SDG 3, SDG 17	Bilateral clinical exchange, hosting Austrian medical students in rural Eastern Cape hospitals.
Office of the Premier (Eastern Cape) and the Council for the Built Environment	Provincial government	SDG 8, SDG 9, SDG 17	Work-integrated learning placements across provincial government infrastructure projects.
Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR)	Provincial government	SDG 1, SDG 2, SDG 15	Memorandum renewed through 2029 for rural agrarian research, extension, and cannabis bio-economy development.
merSETA	Industrial	SDG 8, SDG 9, SDG 10	A R39 million investment that closed out 22 engineering projects and cleared R17 million in student debt.
NEMISA and the e-Skills CoLab	National public agency	SDG 4, SDG 8, SDG 9	Hosted the 2024 Digital Skills Summit and rural youth cellphone-repair entrepreneurship training in Lusikisiki.
CSIR and DIRISA	National science council	SDG 4, SDG 9, SDG 10	An OR Tambo high-school coding school and experiential placements for 17 engineering students.
DFFE National Pollution Laboratory	National government	SDG 14, SDG 17	Under Operation Phakisa, the university hosts the laboratory that collects and analyses coastal water-quality samples.
Nyandeni Kingdom and Municipality	Traditional and local government	SDG 11, SDG 16, SDG 17	The Adopt-a-District pilot, using university expertise for rural community development.
NTG Solutions	Private industry	SDG 5, SDG 8, SDG 9	Scarce-skills artificial intelligence and data training for 150 unemployed youth and alumni, 60 percent of them women.
Siyaphumelela Network 3.0	National academic network	SDG 4, SDG 10	A data-informed network that shares student-success practice and works to narrow equity gaps.

This account is drawn from the iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu Sustainability Impact Progress Report, prepared against the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings methodology.

The Sustainable Development Goals icons are United Nations marks, used here for information. The content of this publication has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States. Read the Sustainable Development Goals.