College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2023 15 hosted conferences and events, including a joint conference between UJ and the Italian Embassy. We also hosted Profs Bartosz Kurek and Ireneusz Górowski from Krakow University of Economics, Poland, which exemplifies this collaborative spirit. A total of 40 CBE students participated in the Africa-by-Bus initiative to Botswana, to be exposed to foreign markets, international businesses, and different African cultures and, secondly, to align their knowledge with the Free African Trade Policy. The Conference on Risk and Uncertainty in Finance and Economics (RUFE), held in Johannesburg from 4 to 7 April 2023, facilitated academic dialogue on financial engineering and risk assessment in collaboration with Bielefeld University in Germany. The 8th Annual Competition and Economic Regulation (ACER) week conference in Mauritius from 2 to 6 October 2023, organised by CCRED, addressed competition and regulatory issues, fostering discourse among scholars and industry experts. The Trilateral Chair concluded its involvement in the collaborative project ‘Making the Invisible Visible: Informal Innovation in South Africa’, aligned with UNDP Africa’s Strategic Offer (2022-2025) aiming to harness African communities’ innovation capabilities for their development. The research team, including Utrecht University, the University of Johannesburg, and the MIT Sloan School of Management, conducted a survey on informal innovation and entrepreneurship in South Africa. The Chair also hosted the 2023 AFRICALICS Visiting Fellows for a three-month study programme to participate in seminars, writing sessions and mentoring. They also extended a warm welcome to undergraduate students from the International Centre for Frugal Innovation in the Netherlands, providing them with an opportunity to explore the concept of frugal innovation. Participation in international workshops, the GLOBELICS International PhD Academy, conferences, Brown Bag sessions, Conversations with Authors, publication clinic and forums, virtual simulations, has provided students and researchers with invaluable opportunities to engage in global discussions and contribute to cutting-edge research areas. Dr Chukwuma Nnaji, a Diaspora Fellow from Texas A&M University, United States, who participated in the Immersive Technology and Graduate Mentorship workshop organised for our students, Dr Sichoongwe’s participation in the summer programme at Beijing International Studies University, and PhD student Niki Cattaneo’s membership in the UNCTAD Working Group on Data for Services Trade and Development Policies, are just a few examples. On 11 to 14 October 2023, the SARChI TRCTI Chair Prof Erika Kraemer-Mbula was a co-organising partner of the International Globelics Conference, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. The conference theme was ‘Innovation-Driven Knowledge-Economies and Transformation in the Global South’, and it marked the 20th anniversary of the first Globelics international conference held in Rio de Janeiro in 2003. Community engagement projects It is CBE’s responsibility also to extend its expertise and resources beyond the lecture walls. Our staff and students are actively engaged in making a positive difference within the community. In the fight against food insecurity, the Food Evolution Research Laboratory (FERL) is involved with impactful projects like Jars and Pots of Hope for Mandela Day, and school feeding programmes. The Noodle Project is a crucial source of support for orphanages. We partnered with the South African Broadcasting Corporation to offer a comprehensive financial literacy project, equipping members of savings schemes (Stokvels) with financial skills. Furthermore, our online ‘Be Money Wise’ certificate programme and business clinics cater specifically to small- and medium-sized enterprises, guiding financial planning and business development strategies. Through the Bottle Cap Drive, the College actively contributed to acquiring a
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjU1NDYx