BERTHA CENTRE FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Researching for action. Educating for impact. Convening for results.
Bertha Centre
The first specialised centre in Africa dedicated to advancing social innovation and entrepreneurship
The Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the UCT Graduate School of Business is a globally ranked centre of excellence dedicated to advancing social innovation and entrepreneurship. Our mission is to build capacity and knowledge– with partners, practitioners and students – to advance the discourse and systemic impact of social innovation.
In collaboration with the UCT GSB, the Centre has integrated social innovation into the business school curriculum, established a wide community of practitioners and awarded over R8 million in scholarships to students from across Africa. Our work covers various sectors including innovative finance, systems change, social entrepreneurship, education, youth development and healthcare.
RESEARCH AND TEACHING
RESEARCHING FOR ACTION
View our quality research, case studies, reviews and actionable insights.
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CONVENING FOR RESULTS
We convene and engage multiple sectors through difficult conversations that matter.
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CATALYSING FOR CHANGE
We are dedicated to advancing social innovation and entrepreneurship and catalysing for change.
Read MoreSCHOLARSHIPS
The Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship in partnership with the Bertha Foundation awards scholarships to nurture a new generation of social innovators and promote entrepreneurial solutions to help solve some of the urgent social and environmental problems of our time.
To date the Centre has awarded over ZAR 7 million in funding to more than 60 students from across the African continent.
Candidates must meet the admission criteria for their respective programme and be accepted into the programme in order to receive the scholarship.
MEET THE DIRECTOR
SOLANGE ROSA
Director, Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, UCT GSB
Dr Solange Rosa has been involved with the organisation since 2016. She also serves as Associate Faculty and Advisor at the Allan Gray Centre for Values-based Leadership, and teaches on Executive Education and MBA programmes at the UCT Graduate School of Business and the UCT School of Economics.
Ideas Exchange
Supporting impact investment initiatives in Africa
Africa must take charge of its own development agenda, and while impact investors can support it, they must also be supported with a collaborative and research-backed approach from African stakeholders. Here is what is being done in this regard, and how it can benefit all those involved.
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Social change is messy and non-linear – we need approaches that speak to that
The thinking that created many of our deep-rooted social and environmental problems will not get us out of the mess we’re in. If there’s to be any hope of a brighter future for all, we need a new way of thinking about systems change.
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Youth unemployment must be looked at holistically
COVID-19 has worsened unemployment amongst South Africa’s young adults. Fixing this endemic problem won’t be easy, but a ‘systems thinking’ lens could at least point to the best places to start.
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SA’s new finance minister must emphasise green transition
Godongwana needs to take bold, visionary action to transition South Africa’s economy from gold to green. The same-old policy approaches will only continue to yield disappointment for the workforce.
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Only together can sparks of impact investing in Africa light the way forward
From Addis Ababa to Accra, Lagos to Lusaka, ground-breaking examples of impact investments are flourishing. The steady growth in this asset class, however, belies a fragmented playing-field.
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COVID-19 has nudged youth development towards 4IR, but gaps remain
The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred organisations working in youth development to find new ways to reach their young audiences through technology, but without the basics in place, many of these solutions are doomed to remain isolated examples of excellence.
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COVID-19: Impact investing’s inflection point
As South Africa marks the anniversary of its first lockdown we reflect on our journey toward a post-COVID economic recovery and how the systemic shift toward impact investing and other financial innovation may point the way to lasting change in the country.
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Building a safety net for young people who drop out of school is everyone’s problem
Low attendance rates and lost school time are signalling a looming skills crisis for the country, as high numbers of young people are likely be lost to the education system and the economy across the next year. To solve this, we need to act together, and we need to do things differently.
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Our world needs empathetic intervention - not heroes
As the world battles big systemic challenges, it’s clear that no single person has the answer. Instead, companies, organisations and individuals need to look at processes informed by many different perspectives to point the way forward.
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Bertha Centre partners with Build Peace 2020 Conference
Fergus Turner, Programme Manager at the Bertha Centre, spoke to Kieno Kammies about the Build Peace 2020 conference, hosted virtually in partnership with global non-profit, Build Up.
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Calling all young South Africans who want to help build social justice and peace
The Bertha Centre at the UCT Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB), is calling on young South Africans to join a global community of peace makers at Build Peace 2020, a virtual international peace-building conference that gets underway this weekend.
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International recognition for Bertha Centre (UCT GSB) researchers
The Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship is developing a new teaching case method - incorporating multiple perspectives for the complex issues of our time - which they have been invited to present at the North American Case Research Association (NACRA) 2020 Conference.
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Dr Solange Rosa to lead the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship
New director cites community across boundaries, a fairer world, communal inspired action, access to opportunities, radical collaboration, kindness, social justice, and aligned interests as key to forging a fresh vision for the next decade.
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SA’s youth hit hard by COVID-19
A survey conducted with young South Africans has revealed that many have had to borrow money to survive as a result of COVID-19, with a significant number plunged deeper into unemployment.
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Young people can lead the response to COVID-19
Youth Day reminds us of the role the young people have played in the past to drive change. In a world that is battling the COVID-19 pandemic, their vibrant energy and mobilising ability is needed more than ever — especially on the African continent.
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From uncertainty to lasting social value
While Covid-19 is wreaking havoc in our economy and our communities, it is simultaneously giving rise to compassion and innovation. Crisis has always been a driver of change, unlocking new ways of doing things, the question is can we sustain these into the future?
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