Mbombela, Tuesday, 10 March 2026 — The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) invite members of the media to the 2026 Africa Young Graduates and Scholars (AYGS) Conference. The conference will take place at UMP Mbombela Campus from 11–12 March 2026.
Held under the theme, “Driving Sustainable Development: Innovation Through Technological Transformation,” this milestone event celebrates two decades of African research excellence and youth empowerment, bringing together early-career researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to address Africa’s pressing development priorities.
The theme emphasises the importance of harnessing scientific evidence, technological capabilities, and youth-led innovations to design African solutions to African problems. It calls for bold thinking, practical insights, and collaborative research that will influence policy, transform systems, and deliver meaningful impact.
Participants are emerging scholars from across Africa – including South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania, Benin, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Kenya, Eswatini, Rwanda, Malawi, Uganda, Mauritius, Senegal, and Ethiopia.
It is hosted by the HSRC, in partnership with the UMP, National Research Foundation(NRF) Future Earth Africa Hub Leadership Centre, the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR), South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS), and other key academic and policy stakeholders.
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Details of the event
Date: 11 to 12 March 2026
Time: 8h30 on both days
Venue: Tfokomala Hotel & Conference Centre (Cnr R40 and D725 Roads situated in the University of Mpumalanga, Mbombela, 1200).
YouTube Links: Day1: https://youtube.com/live/_5N69YHZ9v8?feature=share
Day2: https://youtube.com/live/bo1j7IVJclU
Gala Dinner: https://youtube.com/live/xuXKdAJVyuE
For media enquiries, please contact:
| HSRC | UMP |
| Adziliwi Nematandani Cell: +27 82 765 9191 Email: anematandani@hsrc.ac.za | Tlangelani Ubisi, Cell: +27 76 245 9934; Email: Tlangelani.Ubisi@ump.ac.za |
Join the conversation:
#AYGS2026 #AfricaRising #InnovationForDevelopment
Notes to the editor
About the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)
The HSRC was established in 1968 as South Africa’s statutory research agency and has grown to become the largest dedicated research institute in the social sciences and humanities on the African continent, doing cutting-edge public research in areas that are crucial to development.
Our mandate is to inform the effective formulation and monitoring of government policy; to evaluate policy implementation; to stimulate public debate through the effective dissemination of research-based data and fact-based research results; to foster research collaboration; and to help build research capacity and infrastructure for the human sciences.
The Council conducts large-scale, policy-relevant, social-scientific research for public sector users, non-governmental organisations and international development agencies. Its research activities and structures are closely aligned with South Africa’s national development priorities.
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Click here to search the HSRC Research Output Repository
About the University of Mpumalanga (UMP)
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LinkedIn: @University of Mpumalanga