SDG Challenge South Africa

The mission of the SDG Challenge is to connect and mobilise students and organisations all over the world to work together on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN). These goals are set to combat climate change and to reduce the inequalities in the world.

Teams from South African Universities will partner up with a leading company to work together on a SDG Challenge of the respective company.

The SDG Challenge developed a special “pressure-cooker”, so that the teams will come up with tangible and actionable solutions that will contribute towards the UN's SDGs.

During the grand finale all teams will present their solutions in front of a professional jury. The team with the biggest potential impact wins!

BUSINESS PARTNERS

SELECTION OF PREVIOUS PARTNERS

Are you ready to challenge yourself?
Sign up for the 2024 SDG Challenge

The SDG Challenge South Africa is a format of Soapbox and aims to motivate students to pursue a career in making the world more future-proof and to help organisations become more sustainable.

Registration phase
May - August

Selection of business partners
Selection of student consultants
Kick-off event

Sprint day

Sprint Day
10 - 27 September 2024

Online or in-house sprint days
Solution creation
Upskilling

Grand Finale

Grand Finale
31st of October

Pitching the solutions to a professional jury
Keynote speakers and panelists
Networking drinks

2023 Jury & criteria

Throughout the challenge, the teams are encouraged to develop their ideas into realistic well-founded solutions with a goal of creating a better future. Integrated elements in the final evaluation will be: short and long term impact on the SDGs, innovativeness and originality, sustainability, technical feasibility, scalability and economical viability.

Lisa

Lisa Johansson

Green Cape - Green Economy Investment & Finance Liaison

Cerin

Cerin Maduray

WWF - Finance Sector Specialist at The World Wide Fund for Nature

Ellen

Ellen Fischat

Story Room - Founder

Mulweli

Mulweli Nethengwe

Sustainability Institute - Programme Coordinator: Research & Advisory Services