UKUDLA

UKUDLA – the African-German Centre of Excellence for Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems and Applied Agricultural and Food Data Science – was officially launched in January 2025. UKUDLA is a ground-breaking initiative dedicated to transforming Africa’s food systems through innovative research, capacity building, and knowledge transfer.

Derived from the Nguni word for “food,” UKUDLA is a collaborative effort involving leading institutions, including the University of Pretoria (UP), the University of Hohenheim in Germany, the University of the Western Cape, the University of Mpumalanga, and the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Malawi. Supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), multiple German Federal Ministries, and South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF), the Centre aims to address Africa’s complex food-security challenges through interdisciplinary and data-driven approaches.

The University of Pretoria, through Future Africa, supports UKUDLA’s Graduate Centre to train the next generation of scientists through advanced Master’s and PhD programmes, postdoctoral fellowships, and lifelong learning opportunities.

For more information about the UKUDLA Centre of Excellence, visit the dedicated website.