Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA)

28/05/2026

Join us on 2 June for Critical History, Responsive Future, a webinar hosted by the Centre for Social Development in Africa at the University of Johannesburg.

Dr Fatima Mmusi, Prof Linda Harms-Smith, and Prof Jeanette Schmid will present a critical history of Joburg Child Welfare from 1909 to 2024 - with reflections from JCW CEO Abubakr Hattas on what this means for the organisation's future.

Whether you work in child welfare, a welfare organisation or government, this is a conversation worth being part of.

Presenters:
- Dr Fatima Mmusi (Senior Lecturer, Department of Social Work, University of Johannesburg)
- Prof Linda Harms-Smith (Emeritus Professor of Social Work, the University of Pretoria)
- Prof Jeanette Schmid (Professor of Social Work, Vancouver Island University, and Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Development in Africa, University of Johannesburg

Date: 2 June 2026 | Time: 16h00 - 17h30 | Format: Virtual

Please register to join: a7e070f9-3340-4712-bf91-2b35c264e735@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/a7e070f9-3340-4712-bf91-2b35c264e735@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045

25/05/2026

Big challenges need better policy.

The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Social Policy & Development at the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA) equips professionals to:

-Analyse and influence social policy
-Design and evaluate interventions
-Respond to inequality and development challenges in the Global South

With a flexible block learning format (just 3 days per quarter), this programme is designed for working professionals ready to deepen their impact.

Applications now open (close 31 October 2026)
Learn more & apply: https://www.uj.ac.za/faculties/humanities/research/research-centres/centre-for-social-development-in-africa-csda/master-of-philosophy-in-social-policy-and-development/

18/05/2026

The International Consortium for Social Development (ICSD) Africa Branch invites you to attend the Third ICSD Africa Branch Colloquium, taking place on 24–25 June 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Under the theme, “African Solutions to Achieving the Vision of the Doha Political Declaration,” the colloquium will bring together scholars, practitioners, policymakers, students and civil society actors to engage on Africa’s key social development priorities.

The programme will focus on key social development priorities, including:

- Eradicating poverty
- Promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Advancing social integration
- Addressing the social development skills and human capital loss in Africa

KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Professor Wassie Kebede, Professor of Social Work at the School of Social Work, Addis Ababa University. Prof Kebede is the first social work scholar in Ethiopia to attain this position.

📅Date: 24 – 25 June 2026
📍Venue: Sarova Stanley Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya
💵Cost: $50 (details regarding payment will be provided once registered)
🔗Registration link: https://form.jotform.com/261133641543551

Please note that participation is limited to 70 attendees, and registration will be confirmed on a first come, first served basis.

We look forward to welcoming you to Nairobi for what promises to be an engaging and impactful colloquium.

For further information, kindly contact Dr Khanya Ndhlovu at [email protected]

12/05/2026

📢 Webinar Invitation | Critical History, Responsive Future

How does the history of welfare practice continue to shape the present — and what can it teach us about building more responsive futures?

Join the CSDA at the University of Johannesburg for an engaging webinar exploring the critical history of Joburg Child Welfare from 1909 to 2024. The discussion will reflect on historical trends, welfare paradigms, and how these continue to influence contemporary practice and organisational futures.

This webinar will be especially valuable for:
• Welfare and child welfare practitioners
• Government stakeholders
• Social work professionals and researchers
• Anyone interested in transformative social development practice

🎙 Presenters:
• Dr Fatima Mmusi
• Prof Linda Harms-Smith
• Prof Jeanette Schmid

💬 Reflections by:
Abubakr Hattas, CEO of Joburg Child Welfare

📅 Date: 2 June 2026
⏰ Time: 16h00 – 17h30 SAST
💻 Format: Virtual
Register here: a7e070f9-3340-4712-bf91-2b35c264e735@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/a7e070f9-3340-4712-bf91-2b35c264e735@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045

UJ Faculty of Humanities

06/05/2026

📢 Post-Doctoral Fellowship Opportunity

The South African Research Chair in Welfare and Social Development and the CSDA at the University of Johannesburg invite applications for a 12-month Post-Doctoral Fellowship (renewable based on performance).

Hosted by Professor Lauren Graham, this fellowship offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research in social development while strengthening your publication record.

We are looking for a motivated researcher working in areas such as:
• Integrated social policy and social protection systems
• Social protection and precarious work
• Digital inclusion in social protection
• Social policy and climate change

Successful candidates will be expected to publish at least 3 journal articles based on their doctoral work and to contribute to ongoing research projects within the Chair and CSDA.

📅 Closing date: 30 May 2026
📧 Applications: [email protected]

28/04/2026

What if your work could shape policy — not just respond to it?

The MPhil in Social Policy & Development at the University of Johannesburg’s CSDA is designed for those who want to move beyond implementation and into analysis, influence, and impact.

🎓 Build advanced research and policy skills
🌍 Tackle real-world challenges in the Global South
📊 Design interventions that make a difference

Flexible block learning makes it possible to study while working.

📅 Applications close 31 October

👉 Apply now: https://www.uj.ac.za/faculties/humanities/research/research-centres/centre-for-social-development-in-africa-csda/master-of-philosophy-in-social-policy-and-development/

UJ Faculty of Humanities

01/04/2026

📢 Call for Abstracts: ICSD Africa Branch – Third Colloquium

The solutions to Africa’s complex and persistent development challenges lie within the continent. We invite scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and civil society actors to come together to advance contextually grounded, transformative social development solutions.

🌍 The International Consortium for Social Development (ICSD) Africa Branch is pleased to announce its Third Colloquium under the theme:

“African Solutions to Achieving the Vision of the Doha Political Declaration”

This colloquium follows the Second World Summit for Social Development (Doha, Qatar, November 2025) and provides a vital African platform to explore how its commitments can be realised across diverse African contexts through locally grounded, evidence-based, and socially just approaches.

📝 We invite abstracts for empirical papers that engage with African social development innovations in relation to the Doha Declaration, focusing on one or more of the following priority areas:

- Eradicating poverty
- Promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Advancing social integration
- Addressing social development skills and human capital loss in Africa

Submissions should go beyond describing programmes. We are looking for rigorous, research-based contributions that:

- Highlight the novelty and significance of the innovation
- Explain how it was designed and informed by evidence
- Detail the research methodology
- Present empirical findings and outcomes
Reflect on the implications for social development, policy, and theory

📅 Important Dates
• 10 April 2026 – Abstract submission deadline
• 20 April 2026 – Notification of acceptance
• 24–25 June 2026 – ICSD Africa Branch Colloquium

🌐 The colloquium will be hosted as a pre-conference event of the
2026 Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development (SWSD 2026), themed:
“Harambee for Sustainable Shared Futures.”

⚠️ Limited to 70 participants — places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Registration fee: $50 (details will be shared upon abstract acceptance).

👉 Submit your abstract here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=zVp4-u82vEGKlImEEyfgRUIkq-rnODBBpb_jv7DxPcVUQU82TUE0TTIwT1IzQTlVWDFRTlk4NktBWS4u

We look forward to your contributions to shaping African-led solutions for a more just and sustainable future. 🌍✨

12/03/2026

What happens when a university customises its own AI tutor for postgraduate students?

Over the past year, Dr Anthony Kaziboni, Senior Researcher at the University of Johannesburg's CSDA, has been working on a research project exploring the responsible integration of generative AI into postgraduate education.

Rather than relying on generic AI tools, two discipline-specific chatbots were customised :
• SociBot – designed to support Honours students through quantitative research design and project development
• Ulwazi – designed for Master’s students, focusing more on critical thinking, conceptual development, and research design

Both tools are embedded within our Sociology and Social Policy & Development postgraduate programmes and are being evaluated through a rigorous Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research framework.

To mark the formal launch of the project, we will host a webinar on 26 March 2026 at 17:00 SAST.
There are limited spaces, and you can register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zS7dGmHJQuiltZGrmw7lLw #/registration

The event will feature an international panel of specialists and scholars working at the intersection of AI, pedagogy, and higher education innovation:
- Jayna Devani (OpenAI) – Opening remarks
- Professor Helen Crompton – Old Dominion University
- Professor Jeanne Beatrix Law - Kennesaw State University
- Professor Muhsinah Morris - Morehouse College

The discussion will explore critical questions around AI in higher education:
- What does responsible AI integration look like in postgraduate teaching and supervision?
- How do we balance innovation with academic integrity and epistemic responsibility?
- What the possibilities and limitations of AI-enabled learning look like in African and Global South contexts.

Dr Kaziboni will also demonstrate the customised tools.

There is a great deal of excitement and understandable scepticism about AI in universities. Our goal is to move beyond both hype and fear and contribute evidence-based approaches to integrating AI responsibly in higher education.

UJ Faculty of Humanities

03/03/2026

Since 2024, the International Consortium for Social Development (ICSD) Africa Branch has been showcasing African scholarship through its Working Paper Webinar Series — and we continue in 2026 with an important conversation.

Join Prof Antoinette Lombard (University of Pretoria and President of the International Association of Schools of Social Work Iassw-aiets ) as she shares first-hand reflections from the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, where global leaders advanced renewed commitments to social justice, poverty eradication, and inclusive social development.

📅 25 March 2026
⏰14:00–15:30

🔗Register to attend: cc6bcb6f-15d8-4413-bd48-44a1992c1fdc@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/cc6bcb6f-15d8-4413-bd48-44a1992c1fdc@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045

25/02/2026

“South Africa's water crisis is no longer just about water scarcity – it is about failing institutions, leaking infrastructure and weak accountability. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s new National Water Crisis Committee and R156-billion pledge could mark a turning point, but only if governance reform, municipal capacity and transparent oversight take precedence.”

Read more about this in Dr Anthony Kaziboni’s latest Daily Maverick piece.

University of Johannesburg
UJ Faculty of Humanities

South Africa’s water crisis is no longer just about scarcity – it is about failing institutions, leaking infrastructure and weak accountability. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s new National Water Crisis C…