Development Cooperation in South Africa
South Africa’s continued development is significantly constrained by stark inequality and high youth unemployment. It is also beset with high levels of violence to which women and children are particularly vulnerable.
Ireland has provided development assistance to South Africa since 1994. Approximately €2 million per annum will be provided under the Ireland in South Africa Strategy between 2022 and 2026. We invest in education, entrepreneurship, and the development of critical skills, as well as addressing gender based violence.
Education Skills and Development
The Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme is a fully-funded scholarship opportunity offered to South African students to study at Master’s level in Ireland’s world-renowned Higher Education Institutions.
This flagship programme of the Embassy of Ireland in South Africa is part of the broader Ireland-Africa Fellows Programme. The Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme is targeted at early career professionals in South Africa and broadly supports leadership for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Supporting the development of women’s leadership capacity and women’s participation in STEM are particular priorities.
The Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme aims to support students who would not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue Master’s level education in Ireland, and graduates of Universities of Historical Disadvantage and Universities of Technology in particular are encouraged to apply.
The Irish Tech Challenge seeks locally-owned, growth-stage tech start-ups − particularly young, black, women-owned businesses −start-ups whose work aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It aims to forge mutually beneficial partnerships between South African entrepreneurs and Irish technology expertise, leveraging Ireland’s position as a global high-tech hub, providing gateway to European and international markets.
The initiative will award five entrepreneurs up to €10 000 (about R204 000) each in funding, a funded trip to Ireland to participate in a curated business networking programme, access to the Irish tech ecosystem, as well as acceleration support, in collaboration with Dogpatch Labs in Ireland.
The Embassy further supports life-skills training in selected institutes of vocational training, and promotes greater links between South African and Irish institutes of higher education, such as the Charlotte Maxeke-Mary Robinson Research Chair partnership between South Africa's University of the Western Cape and Ireland's Trinity College Dublin.