During his tenure, he provided leadership to the Centre and contributed to advancing its entrepreneurship, innovation and enterprise development agenda. On behalf of the University, I extend our sincere appreciation for his contributions and commitment to the growth of UMPCFERI and wish him every success in his future endeavours.
This communiqué further announces the appointment of Dr Siyasanga Mgoduka as Acting Director of UMPCFERI, with effect from 1 October 2026. Having been approved by the Advisory Board to act in this position in the recent past, this appointment is intended to ensure leadership continuity and the uninterrupted functioning of the Centre while the recruitment process for the substantive Director is underway.
Dr Mgoduka is an accomplished academic, researcher and emerging institutional leader at UMP, with expertise in business management, entrepreneurship, innovation, research and economic development.
She currently serves as a Programme Coordinator for the Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Business Management programme and has previously served as Acting Director of UMPCFERI, providing strategic and operational leadership in advancing the Centre’s entrepreneurship development, innovation and enterprise support initiatives.
She brings valuable experience in academic leadership, programme coordination, research management, stakeholder engagement and institutional development. During her previous tenure as Acting Director, she provided strategic oversight of the Centre's operations, facilitated partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, supported entrepreneurship development and innovation initiatives, and contributed to resource mobilisation and the advancement of the Centre's strategic objectives.
Her leadership is underpinned by a commitment to strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems, fostering innovation and creating opportunities for emerging entrepreneurs, students and small business owners.
Dr Mgoduka holds a Doctor of Commerce in Economics, a Master of Commerce in Business Management, a Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Business Management and a Bachelor of Commerce in Business Management and Banking. Her research and academic interests include entrepreneurship development, business innovation, digital transformation, tourism economics, SMME development and sustainable socio-economic growth.
An active scholar, she has published extensively in accredited academic journals and presented her work at national and international conferences. Among her achievements, she received the Best Presentation Award at the Restructuring of the Global Economy (ROGE) Conference hosted by the University of Oxford in 2024 and is a recipient of multiple National Research Foundation scholarships and a 2026 NRF Knowledge Interchange and Collaboration grant.
As Dr Mgoduka assumes this responsibility, her experience, dedication and collaborative leadership approach will provide stability and strategic direction to UMPCFERI during this transition period. Her passion for entrepreneurship, innovation, research and enterprise development aligns strongly with the University's strategic priorities and vision for socio-economic development.
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