UNISA welcomes global economist Jeffrey Sachs as SA prepares for historic G20 Summit

The University of South Africa is preparing to welcome one of the world’s most influential economic thinkers when Professor Jeffrey Sachs delivers the 2025 Founders Lecture on 20 November. The event, which will take place at the Z K Matthews Great Hall at the Muckleneuk Campus, arrives at a pivotal moment for the country as South Africa prepares to host the G20 Summit only two days later.

Sachs, a leading voice on sustainable development and president of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, will deliver a lecture titled Solidarity, Social Justice and Reclaiming Futures: The Roles of Universities in Contested Geopolitics. His address is expected to draw a direct link between global cooperation and the responsibilities of academic institutions during periods of political tension and economic uncertainty.

Unisa’s Principal and Vice Chancellor, Professor Puleng LenkaBula, will host the evening and has emphasised the significance of the Founders Lecture as a space for strengthening intellectual leadership on the continent. Since its establishment in 2004, the annual lecture has become a meeting point for leading scholars, policymakers and thinkers who engage questions about the evolution of society and the future of the global economy. LenkaBula has frequently argued that African universities must not sit on the sidelines of global debates but must take an active role in shaping them.

The timing of this year’s lecture amplifies its importance. South Africa is preparing to host the G20 Summit for the first time, with international leaders set to gather in Johannesburg to address climate action, global economic coordination, inclusive growth and debt sustainability. The summit theme, Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability, mirrors the focus of Sachs’s work and is expected to frame much of his message to the Unisa community.

Sachs is known for advising several United Nations Secretaries General on the Sustainable Development Goals and for championing policies that support fairness, stability and long term growth. At a time when the world is marked by deep geopolitical divides, he is expected to outline the ways universities can help bridge these divides by advancing research based policy solutions and reinforcing international cooperation.

The issues he will address resonate strongly with South Africa’s own economic landscape. Growth has slowed over the past several years, averaging less than one percent. Unemployment remains stubbornly high, with youth unemployment far above the national average. Rising public debt has increasingly weighed on the state’s ability to deliver services and expand investment, while persistent electricity shortages and transport challenges continue to limit productivity. For many observers, the search for inclusive and sustainable growth has become the country’s most urgent priority.

By hosting Sachs on the eve of the G20 Summit, Unisa is placing itself at the centre of national and global dialogue about economic reform and social justice. The lecture is expected to attract a wide audience from government, academia and the private sector. Doors will open at eighteen hundred, with the lecture scheduled to begin at eighteen thirty, followed by a formal gala dinner.

For LenkaBula, the event is an opportunity to reaffirm the university’s place in shaping Africa’s future. For South Africa, it offers a rare moment in which academic reflection and international policy discussions intersect.