Expanding Unisa’s footprint in the international market

The Department of Institutional Advancement (DIA), the College of Economic and Management Sciences (CEMS), the College of Education, and the College of Accounting Sciences, participated in the 115th Zimbabwe Agricultural Show and Exhibition, led by the Zimbabwe Agricultural Society (ZAS). Held under the theme Building bridges: Connecting agriculture, industry, and community, the exhibition took place in August 2025, at Zimbabwe’s Harare Showgrounds.

Established in 1895, ZAS seeks to promote agriculture and its supporting activities in order to facilitate agricultural development in Zimbabwe. Unisa attended the exhibition in a quest to inform and recruit, especially potential master’s and doctoral students, increasing the university’s international footprint and promoting its ten catalytic niche areas.

The objective was to position Unisa products competitively in a globalised Africa, thereby attracting potential students from African countries by recruiting them to apply and register for the university’s qualifications. This further enhances Unisa’s reputation and its relevance, positioning it as the university of choice on the African continent.

Expressing keenness to study at Unisa

Based on the feedback from engagements with potential students, the DIA team reported an impressive turnout at the university’s stalls, which attests to their hard work and dedication towards expanding the university’s excellent curriculum – aligned with contemporary global issues and remaining future-driven.

Additionally, potential students expressed that they were drawn by Unisa’s ODeL modality, which, among others, offers flexibility, real-time online access and engagement with learning material anytime and anywhere and is not constrained by geographical restrictions. Acknowledging the need to have a physical regional center in Zimbabwe, the students expressed that such an establishment would assist most first-time students, particularly in accessing their myLife email accounts and other online learning resources, including contact with their lectures.

The exhibition drew over 250 000 visitors, including government officials, university administrators, directors of research centers, high school and tertiary students, and the community at large. These participants were eager to learn more about the institution’s wide range of qualifications.

Further, the team had the opportunity to visit JULY28 – the first female-registered accounting firm in Zimbabwe, where they assisted potential applicants, diligently guiding them on how to seamlessly navigate Unisa’s platforms, including the admission process. Additionally, the university team guided the potential applicants on how to identify scammers and fraudsters that might pose as Unisa representatives.

*By Tebogo Mahlaela, Communication and Marketing Specialist, CEMS, and Ellen Mofokeng, Corporate Marketer, DIA