Students at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) now have more opportunities to study at one of the most prestigious business schools in Western Europe and the world. This past Friday, the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) Fellowship Centre, under the University Partnerships Knowledge and Innovation Programme (KPI), announced a multimillion-rand funding to UJ and two other leading universities in Africa.
Known as the Africa, Business and Society (ABS), the project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Denmark. The project, which runs from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2030, is valued at DKK 35.9 million (approximately USD 5.6 million), with the Copenhagen Business School (CBS) as the contracting partner. The bulk of the grant will support student scholarships, while DKK 3 million will fund UJ research-based teaching collaborations.
Launched in June 2025, the project supports partnerships aimed at addressing shared global challenges from diverse perspectives, as well as student mobility from Africa to Denmark. It seeks to promote collaborative, equitable, and mutually transformative partnerships, grounded in joint networks of learning and innovation.
Joining UJ as partner institutions is the University of Nairobi and the University of Ghana Business School. Selected students from these partner institutions will have the opportunity to complete a two-year, fully funded, in-person study in the Business and the Global South Master’s Degree at CBS. Like UJ, CBS is renowned for its seamless blend of academic excellence and real-world relevance and applicability.
UJ’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation, Professor Refilwe Phaswana-Mafuya, said the funding will open new pathways for postgraduate study in Europe and deepen cross-continental research cooperation. “Through ABS, UJ scholars and students will work within a global academic network that integrates research, teaching and societal engagement to address complex challenges shared across continents, she said. This is a welcome intervention that will strengthen our research capacity aimed at shaping Africa’s future within a global context and ultimately, contribute towards societal impact and sustainability.”
The awarded programme will primarily offer an opportunity for students at African partner institutions to complete a two-year, fully funded, in-person study in the Business and the Global South Master’s Degree at CBS. Selected students will enjoy benefits such as full tuition fees at CBS, travel, visa, insurance, housing and living expenses. They will also be supported by the ABS faculty and CBS administration team for practical and intellectual purposes, including joint supervision for their Master’s theses from faculty at CBS and UJ.
Executive Dean of the College of Business and Economics (CBE) at UJ, Prof Tankiso Moloi, said a team from UJ residing at CBE’s School of Economics led the project. “They will partake in joint research, teaching and supervision, including guest lecturing across the four universities”, he explained. Commenting on the funding, Prof Moloi said: “This partnership creates a platform for students and academics to engage across academic disciplines and contexts. It enables co-production in research and teaching, and builds an intellectual community that extends well beyond the duration of the project.”
