Public lecture: Enhancing pan-African collaboration – Strategies for access, digital inclusion, and student success in higher education
- Professor Letlhokwa George Mpedi, University of Johannesburg
In this keynote, Professor Mpedi sets out a vision for the future of pan-African higher education collaborations, and the importance of widening access and digital inclusion for student success. Emphasising the importance of African research and knowledge production, he will also talk about UJ’s role in creating research and development initiatives between universities and industry, student and faculty exchanges, the creation of dual-degree programmes, and the use of collaborative teaching models.
Booking
Register here to attend online.
This talk is part of a day-long seminar on African research collaborations and partnerships. If you plan to attend the day in-person, and would like to join the visitors for a light sandwich lunch, please RSVP to zhongyu.wang@education.ox.ac.uk
Event Notes
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Letlhokwa George Mpedi completed his B Juris (1996) and LLB (1998) at Vista University. In
2001, the LLM degree in Labour Law was conferred upon him by the then Rand Afrikaans
University (now the University of Johannesburg). He twice received the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) award (in 2000 and 2001) to conduct research in Germany for his LLM dissertation and LLD thesis, respectively.
Upon completing his LLB, he was employed as a Junior Lecturer in the Department of Mercantile Law at the then Vista University (Mamelodi Campus). He joined the Centre for International and Comparative Labour and Social Security Law (CICLASS) at the then Rand Afrikaans University as a researcher in 2000. In August 2003, Professor Mpedi accepted a position as a Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Social Law in Munich (Germany). Upon his return from Germany in 2006, he was employed as a Deputy Director at CICLASS.
In the same year, the LLD degree in Mercantile Law was conferred upon him by the University of Johannesburg. Professor Mpedi successfully completed the Oxford Advanced Management and Leadership Programme (OAMLP) offered by the Oxford University Said Business School (May 2021 to July 2022) and the Leading in Artificial Intelligence: Exploring Technology and Policy Programme presented by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (July 2022). On July 29, 2023, Professor Mpedi received an honorary doctorate from Caucasus University in Georgia. In November 2025, William V. S. Tubman University in Liberia awarded Professor Mpedi the Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa, in Artificial Intelligence — in recognition of his contributions to advancing AI in higher education and society.
Before his current position as Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Mpedi served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic and Executive Dean (Faculty of Law) at the University of Johannesburg. He lectured labour law and social security to LLB, post-graduate and certificate students and has delivered papers at numerous national and international conferences. Professor Mpedi is the Secretary General-elect of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP). He also serves on the executive committees of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), IAUP, Universities South Africa (USAf) and Universitas 21 (U21).
Professor Mpedi has published widely on social security and labour law in South Africa, Southern Africa, and Anglophone Africa. His most recent publications include a book, From the Predator to Prey: Leadership Lessons from the Africam Wild and Beyond (2025), published by Tracey McDonald Publishers and a co-authored book, Artificial Intelligence and the Law (2024), published by Palgrave Macmillan. Professor Mpedi is a National Research Foundation-rated scholar. He is placed in the B category (i.e., a researcher who enjoys considerable international recognition by peers).