Student leaders from across the African continent gathered on the Durban University of Technology’s (DUT) Ritson Campus on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, to officially open the Continental Student Leadership Summit (CSLS) 2026.
The summit is the result of a partnership between DUT, the Pan African Students Forum (PASF) and the DUT Student Representative Council (SRC).
The summit is a response to the shifting global landscape and aims to position Africa’s student intelligentsia at the centre of shaping a unified, resilient and forward-thinking continent. It serves as a dynamic platform for student leaders to acquire knowledge, share experiences and foster intercultural competence. It further highlights the power of student governance in advancing innovation and transformation, both locally and globally.The theme for the summit is: Orchestrating the Next Movement of African Excellence in Leadership and Governance towards Economic Emancipation: Navigating the Complexities and Contradictions.
Ahead of the opening session, the institution’s Dean of Students, Dr Clement Moreku, delivered a welcome message on behalf of DUT, reaffirming the university’s commitment to fostering African unity among student leaders from across the continent.
“Last year’s inaugural summit served as a dynamic platform to address Africa’s pressing challenges. In 2025, key deliberations focused on innovation, entrepreneurship and AI-driven policies. The delegates made commitments to lead with integrity, drive innovation and foster African unity. As DUT and as South Africans, we condemn any act of violence against our own,” he said.
He added that through keynote addresses, focus groups and rich cultural engagement, delegates will interact, collaborate and envision solutions for Africa and the world.
DUT SRC President Sihle Nkosi said he was proud to play a role in hosting such an important gathering focused on Africa’s transformation.
“It is both an honour and a privilege to stand before young leaders representing different nations, different cultures and different institutions, yet united by one common conviction – that the future of Africa must be shaped by Africans themselves,” he said.
Nkosi said he looked forward to student leaders sharing experiences and cultivating visionary leadership that is ethically grounded, socially responsive and globally adaptive.
Also delivering welcome remarks was Purity Mutua, Vice President Emeritus of the University of Nairobi in Kenya, who serves as the Partnership Coordinator for the PASF. She encouraged everyone to engage fully in this multinational platform.
She said: “The Pan African Student Leaders Forum, formed last year at a time like this, serves as the bridge to promote continued cohesion and unity among the leaders represented here. What better time in history to be the implementers, not just vision bearers, of a vision of making Africa the Tree of Life.”
The programme continued with the much-anticipated keynote address delivered by DUT’s Registrar, Dr Maditsane Nkonoane. He commended the organisers of the summit, beginning with its inaugural session in 2025, particularly DUT’s student leadership under the guidance of the Student Governance Unit.
“We are on the right path. Student leadership on our continent has often inherited a fractured legacy of leadership. On the one hand, we have a proud history of radical activism. From the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa to the independence movements across West and East Africa, students have always been the conscience of the nation,” he shared. He said the summit aims to affirm the strategic role of student leadership in reimagining the future of higher education and society.
The summit continued with breakaway sessions featuring discussions on leadership and governance, innovation, entrepreneurship and economic self-reliance, as well as strengthening Pan-African unity and navigating contemporary complexities.
The summit is scheduled to run until Friday, 3 July 2026, during which student leaders, academics and student development professionals will continue exchanging ideas and exploring African-centred solutions for the continent’s socio-economic transformation.
Pictured: DUT Dean of Students, Dr Clement Moreku with Dr Catherine Sutherland at the Continental Student Leadership Summit (CSLS) 2026.
Waheeda Peters/Sinamile Sithole
