Distinguished Africa Lecture 2024
Distinguished Africa Lecture and Panel Discussion 2024
The Warwick Africa Hub is delighted to once again host our annual Distinguished Africa Lecture. This year's lecture will be delivered by Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, United Nations University Rector and UN Under-Secretary General. The lecture will focus on Higher Education in Africa in the era of Artificial Intelligence and will be available to attend in person on the University of Warwick campus, or online. The lecture will be preceded by a panel discussion themed around innovation and sustainable development. Please register for both below.
Warwick Africa Hub
We connect Warwick with African universities through our Africa Partnerships Strategy. Led by Academic Directors for Africa, Professor Franklyn Lisk and Professor Dan Branch, the strategy addresses global challenges and supports the development of the region’s research and education leaders.
The Warwick Africa Hub Annual Distinguished Africa Lecture is designed to showcase world-leading African scholarship and to celebrate Warwick’s engagement with our partners.
Distinguished Africa Lecture 2024
Monday 3 June 2024, 4:15pm
University of Warwick, Oculus 0.03, and online
Guest speaker: Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, United Nations University Rector & UN Under-Secretary-General
Title: Higher Education in Africa in the era of Artificial Intelligence
Higher education is undergoing a fundamental paradigm shift. In the age of artificial intelligence (AI), entire systems and processes are being redefined. Not only do institutions have to evolve and provide students with a thorough understanding of this shifting world, they also have to embrace these technologies in order to remain relevant. Africa presents an intriguing case study in this regard. The continent, despite its immense potential and talent pool, is trailing behind in its adoption of AI and in many ways, the education system leaves many wanting. As the rest of the world surges ahead with AI integration, Africa risks being left behind, widening its technological gap and hindering socio-economic development. Prof Marwala looks at the current state of the sector on the continent and makes the argument for reimagining higher education in Africa through the lens of AI. As he demonstrates, this could very well be the key to unlocking a new development path as a new generation of leaders are inspired and empowered.
Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala, UNU Rector & UN Under-Secretary-General
Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala joined the United Nations University (UNU) as the University’s seventh Rector on 1 March 2023. In that role, he holds the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Since January 2018, Prof. Marwala served as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg, in South Africa. Under his leadership, he has positioned the university within the fourth industrial revolution to harness solutions to help Africa achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
He has been a visiting scholar/professor at Harvard University; University of California, Berkeley; Wolfson College, University of Cambridge; Nanjing Tech University (China); Central South University (China); and the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study.
Prof. Marwala has extensive academic, policy, management, and international experience. His research has been multi-disciplinary, involving the theory and applications of artificial intelligence to engineering, social science, economics, politics, finance, and medicine. He is a co-holder of five patents.
Prof. Marwala is, inter alia, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the Academy of Science of South Africa, the African Academy of Sciences, and the South African Academy of Engineering. He has served on a variety of global and national policymaking bodies, including as Deputy Chair of South Africa’s Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Chair of the Africa Centre of Excellence in Internet of Things in Rwanda and Chair of Africa Health Research Institute. He has also worked with the United Nations through agencies such as UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO, and WIPO.
Prof. Marwala is the author of more than 20 books ― including Leadership Lessons from Books I Read (2021), Leading in the 21st Century: The Call for a New Type of African Leader (2021), and Closing the Gap: The Fourth Industrial Revolution in Africa (2020) ― and dozens of book chapters, journal papers, and conference papers. He has published more than 200 magazine articles and newspaper op-eds. Prof. Marwala has received numerous awards, including the Order of Mapungubwe, South Africa’s highest honour, and the Academy of South Africa’s Science-for-Society Gold Medal, and was named the 2021 IT Personality of the Year by the Institute of IT Professionals South Africa.
Since August 2023, Prof. Marwala has become a member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s (newly created) Scientific Advisory Board.
Africa Lecture Panel Discussion
Our Panel Discussion will take place before the lecture and will be themed around Innovation and Sustainable Development. This event will also be a hybrid event, available to attend on the University of Warwick campus or online.
Monday 3 June 2024, 2pm - 3:30pm
University of Warwick, Oculus 0.03, and online
Chair and panellists to be announced.
Registration
Please use the form below to register for the above event(s). Online joining instructions will be sent to all those who register.
Africa Partnerships Team
Supporting the Academic Directors for Africa, Prof Lisk and Prof Dan Branch, the Partnerships Team are here to help facilitate partnership development across Africa.
Corrina Greenwood
International Partnerships Manager
International Strategy and Relations
Joëlle Maurice
International Partnerships Officer
International Strategy and Relations