News Date : 05 March, 2026
SARUA announces partnership with BUAN to host second Annual International Conference in Gaborone
SARUA announces partnership with BUAN to host second Annual International Conference in Gaborone [Stellenbosch, 5 March 2026] The Southern African Regional Universities Association (SARUA) has announced that its second Annual International SARUA Conference will be hosted in partnership with the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) in Gaborone, Botswana, from 25 to 27 November 2026.
The 2026 conference will be convened under the theme From Innovation to Transformation: Scaling and Rethinking Higher Education Towards Social Justice and Sustainable Development. Building on the 2025 focus on Innovating Higher Education for Sustainable Development across the SADC: Innovation for Impact, this year’s gathering moves the regional conversation forward. Whereas the inaugural conference emphasised the generation of innovative approaches and their potential for impact, the 2026 theme challenges institutions to consider how such innovations can be embedded, expanded, scaled and translated into sustained, system-wide change.
The shift from innovation to transformation reflects a growing recognition that pilot initiatives and isolated successes are not enough. Universities across the region are being called upon to rethink governance models, funding strategies, partnerships and academic practices so that innovation leads to measurable progress in advancing social justice and sustainable development. In a context marked by inequality, climate vulnerability and economic pressure, higher education must play a decisive role in shaping inclusive and resilient futures.
In line with SARUA’s commitment to rotating its flagship conference across SADC member states, the event follows the inaugural gathering held in Lusaka in 2025. Hosting the conference in Gaborone is particularly significant, as the SADC Secretariat, which founded SARUA, is headquartered in Botswana. The 2026 conference provides an opportunity to reaffirm the alignment between regional higher education collaboration and SADC’s broader development agenda.
SARUA Executive Director Prof. Stephen Simukanga said the partnership with BUAN underscores the association’s focus on regional cooperation and purposeful transformation. “Following the success of our inaugural conference, we are pleased to convene in Gaborone around a theme that challenges institutions to translate innovation into sustained, system-wide progress in support of social justice and sustainable development.”
The SARUA International Annual Conference brings together university leaders, policymakers, researchers, academics, development partners, industry and community representatives from across the SADC region, Africa and beyond. The 2026 gathering will provide a high-level platform for strategic dialogue, policy engagement and collaborative action, with a particular emphasis on scaling effective practice and strengthening institutional impact across Africa.
Vice-Chancellor of BUAN, Prof. Ketlhatlogile Mosepele, said the university is honoured to host the conference in partnership with SARUA. “The theme speaks directly to the responsibility of universities to rethink established models and extend their contribution to inclusive andsustainable development. We look forward to welcoming colleagues from across the region, the continent and wider global community to Gaborone for an engagement that will shape the next phase of higher education transformation.”
Further details on the conference programme, speakers and registration will be announced in due course.