College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2024 38 STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTNERS - NATIONAL AND GLOBAL FOOTPRINT WAY FORWARD Our national and global footprints have continued to expand and consolidate during 2024, through various new initiatives. Many of the research, engagement and capacity building activities mentioned above also contributed to both our and UJ’s national and international footprint. SARChI-ID has established strong partnerships with key stakeholders in government, industry, and academia. These relationships have enhanced the national and international impact of our research. Examples of our partnerships and collaborations during this period include various South African government departments, TIPS; the Young Scholars Initiative (YSI); universities in South Africa and abroad, and UNIDO. In collaboration with YSI, we were the lead organiser of the ‘Fourth Young Scholars Conference on Structural Change and Industrial Policy in Africa’. This event was held over two days, in a hybrid format. The conference opened with a keynote address from one of the leading global scholars in the field, Dr Taffere Tesfachew. Satellite conference venues in Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Nairobi, Namibia, Nigeria and South Africa convened inperson gatherings of groups of peers participating in the conference. 35 presentations were made by scholars from across Africa, as well as from scholars from other regions who are conducting research on Africa. This conference has become one of our flagship events that contributes to capacity-building, knowledge and skills transfer, and networking across Africa and beyond. Building on the successes of previous years, we are excited about prospects for 2025. SARChI-ID has already hosted several important international events in 2025. For instance, as the African regional partner of UNIDO, SARChI-ID hosted the Expert Group Meeting on UNIDO’s Industrial Development Report 2026, under the theme ‘The Future of Industrialization: building future-ready industries to turn challenges into sustainable solutions. Also, SARChI-ID successfully co-hosted a high-profile development dialogue with the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) in association with Econ3x3 and National Treasury. SARChI-ID is poised in 2025 to continue to produce novel cutting-edge research, strengthen and expand our collaborations and innovative activities towards impactful research, influence policy, stimulate public debates, forge new networks and collaborations, and strengthen capacity at UJ and beyond.
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