University of Pretoria to host first Nobel Prize Dialogue in Africa

Pretoria: The University of Pretoria (UP) is due to host the first Nobel Prize Dialogue in Africa next month.

The May 18 event, organised by the university and Nobel Prize Outreach, will discuss what working life will be like in the future as the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic which has forced many people to work from home, UP said on Sunday.

“Covid-19 has meant a change in the way we work, with mental health issues on the rise,” vice-chancellor and principal Professor Tawana Kupe said.

“The workplace is also changing in the face of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

Economic Sciences laureates Christopher Pissarides, Joseph Stiglitz and Abhijit Banerjee will be joined by Physics laureate Brian Schmidt as well as Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus at the forum

The panel discussion will also include former chief executive of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Nicky Newton-King and president of the African Development Bank Dr Akinwumi Adesina.

The Nobel Prize Dialogues were inspired by the Nobel Week Dialogue, which has been taking place in Sweden since 2012 on the day preceding the Nobel Prize award ceremony.

Since then, the dialogues have been organised in many countries across the world, but this will be the first time one takes place in Africa.

The University of Pretoria is one of the largest contact and residential universities in South Africa, and one of the top five in the country according to the 2019-2020 rankings by the Centre for World University Rankings.

African News Agency (ANA)