Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA)

Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA) The CSDA is a research centre dedicated to basic, applied & strategic research in social development

The Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA), at the University of Johannesburg, was established in 2003 and is dedicated to basic, applied and strategic research in social development and developmental welfare. The Centre's raison d'etre is consistent with the broader mission of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the higher education sector's broader mission and strives to be a leading

research and social development site in Africa. The Centre's research agenda connects with the needs of local communities and the larger society in a changing regional and global context by aiming to contribute to improvements in service delivery, policy debates as well as in the expansion of knowledge through cutting-edge disciplinary and interdisciplinary research. Subscribe to the CSDA mailing list: https://vr2.verticalresponse.com/s/csdasubscription

For many young people, unemployment is only part of the challenge.Many also struggle to navigate fragmented systems, lim...
05/06/2026

For many young people, unemployment is only part of the challenge.

Many also struggle to navigate fragmented systems, limited opportunities, household difficulties such as food insecurity, care commitments, and platforms that are difficult to access or sustain engagement with.

This is why guidance, coaching and human-centred support still matter.

The upcoming Joint Policy Brief Series by FinMark Trust, the University of Johannesburg's Centre for Social Development in Africa and University of Cape Town’s Southern Africa Labour & Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town explores why in-person support remains important in helping young people move towards livelihoods and opportunities.

We are pleased to share the CSDA 2025 Annual Report, Connections, Bridges and Breakthroughs.The report captures a year o...
04/06/2026

We are pleased to share the CSDA 2025 Annual Report, Connections, Bridges and Breakthroughs.

The report captures a year of strengthening global and local partnerships, advancing flagship programmes, and deepening the CSDA’s role in linking research, policy, and practice.

It also includes a special 21-year reflection report, marking the CSDA’s contribution to advancing social justice, knowledge, and policy over more than two decades.

Read the full report herehttps://www.uj.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/csda-_-annual-report-2025-_-may-2026-2.pdf

UJ Faculty of Humanities University of Johannesburg

South Africa’s unemployment challenge continues to grow, especially among young people who remain furthest from opportun...
03/06/2026

South Africa’s unemployment challenge continues to grow, especially among young people who remain furthest from opportunity.

While many interventions have been introduced over the years, unemployment remains persistently high. This shows that there is no single solution to a complex problem.

We need to continue testing different approaches, learning from evidence, and paying attention to what is working in practice.

Over the coming days, FinMark Trust, the University of Johannesburg’s for Social Development in Africa and UCT’s SALDRU will share insights from a 3-part Joint Policy Brief Series exploring the role of coaching, in-person support and integrated pathways to livelihoods.

28/05/2026

Join us on 2 June for Critical History, Responsive Future, a webinar hosted by the Centre for Social Development in Africa at the University of Johannesburg.

Dr Fatima Mmusi, Prof Linda Harms-Smith, and Prof Jeanette Schmid will present a critical history of Joburg Child Welfare from 1909 to 2024 - with reflections from JCW CEO Abubakr Hattas on what this means for the organisation's future.

Whether you work in child welfare, a welfare organisation or government, this is a conversation worth being part of.

Presenters:
- Dr Fatima Mmusi (Senior Lecturer, Department of Social Work, University of Johannesburg)
- Prof Linda Harms-Smith (Emeritus Professor of Social Work, the University of Pretoria)
- Prof Jeanette Schmid (Professor of Social Work, Vancouver Island University, and Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Development in Africa, University of Johannesburg

Date: 2 June 2026 | Time: 16h00 - 17h30 | Format: Virtual

Please register to join: a7e070f9-3340-4712-bf91-2b35c264e735@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/a7e070f9-3340-4712-bf91-2b35c264e735@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045

25/05/2026

Big challenges need better policy.

The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Social Policy & Development at the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA) equips professionals to:

-Analyse and influence social policy
-Design and evaluate interventions
-Respond to inequality and development challenges in the Global South

With a flexible block learning format (just 3 days per quarter), this programme is designed for working professionals ready to deepen their impact.

Applications now open (close 31 October 2026)
Learn more & apply: https://www.uj.ac.za/faculties/humanities/research/research-centres/centre-for-social-development-in-africa-csda/master-of-philosophy-in-social-policy-and-development/

The International Consortium for Social Development (ICSD) Africa Branch invites you to attend the Third ICSD Africa Bra...
18/05/2026

The International Consortium for Social Development (ICSD) Africa Branch invites you to attend the Third ICSD Africa Branch Colloquium, taking place on 24–25 June 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Under the theme, “African Solutions to Achieving the Vision of the Doha Political Declaration,” the colloquium will bring together scholars, practitioners, policymakers, students and civil society actors to engage on Africa’s key social development priorities.

The programme will focus on key social development priorities, including:

- Eradicating poverty
- Promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Advancing social integration
- Addressing the social development skills and human capital loss in Africa

KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Professor Wassie Kebede, Professor of Social Work at the School of Social Work, Addis Ababa University. Prof Kebede is the first social work scholar in Ethiopia to attain this position.

📅Date: 24 – 25 June 2026
📍Venue: Sarova Stanley Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya
💵Cost: $50 (details regarding payment will be provided once registered)
🔗Registration link: https://form.jotform.com/261133641543551

Please note that participation is limited to 70 attendees, and registration will be confirmed on a first come, first served basis.

We look forward to welcoming you to Nairobi for what promises to be an engaging and impactful colloquium.

For further information, kindly contact Dr Khanya Ndhlovu at [email protected]

📢 Webinar Invitation | Critical History, Responsive FutureHow does the history of welfare practice continue to shape the...
12/05/2026

📢 Webinar Invitation | Critical History, Responsive Future

How does the history of welfare practice continue to shape the present — and what can it teach us about building more responsive futures?

Join the CSDA at the University of Johannesburg for an engaging webinar exploring the critical history of Joburg Child Welfare from 1909 to 2024. The discussion will reflect on historical trends, welfare paradigms, and how these continue to influence contemporary practice and organisational futures.

This webinar will be especially valuable for:
• Welfare and child welfare practitioners
• Government stakeholders
• Social work professionals and researchers
• Anyone interested in transformative social development practice

🎙 Presenters:
• Dr Fatima Mmusi
• Prof Linda Harms-Smith
• Prof Jeanette Schmid

💬 Reflections by:
Abubakr Hattas, CEO of Joburg Child Welfare

📅 Date: 2 June 2026
⏰ Time: 16h00 – 17h30 SAST
💻 Format: Virtual
Register here: a7e070f9-3340-4712-bf91-2b35c264e735@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/a7e070f9-3340-4712-bf91-2b35c264e735@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045

UJ Faculty of Humanities

📢 Post-Doctoral Fellowship Opportunity The South African Research Chair in Welfare and Social Development and the CSDA a...
06/05/2026

📢 Post-Doctoral Fellowship Opportunity

The South African Research Chair in Welfare and Social Development and the CSDA at the University of Johannesburg invite applications for a 12-month Post-Doctoral Fellowship (renewable based on performance).

Hosted by Professor Lauren Graham, this fellowship offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research in social development while strengthening your publication record.

We are looking for a motivated researcher working in areas such as:
• Integrated social policy and social protection systems
• Social protection and precarious work
• Digital inclusion in social protection
• Social policy and climate change

Successful candidates will be expected to publish at least 3 journal articles based on their doctoral work and to contribute to ongoing research projects within the Chair and CSDA.

📅 Closing date: 30 May 2026
📧 Applications: [email protected]

What if your work could shape policy — not just respond to it?The MPhil in Social Policy & Development at the University...
28/04/2026

What if your work could shape policy — not just respond to it?

The MPhil in Social Policy & Development at the University of Johannesburg’s CSDA is designed for those who want to move beyond implementation and into analysis, influence, and impact.

🎓 Build advanced research and policy skills
🌍 Tackle real-world challenges in the Global South
📊 Design interventions that make a difference

Flexible block learning makes it possible to study while working.

📅 Applications close 31 October

👉 Apply now: https://www.uj.ac.za/faculties/humanities/research/research-centres/centre-for-social-development-in-africa-csda/master-of-philosophy-in-social-policy-and-development/

UJ Faculty of Humanities

📢 Call for Abstracts: ICSD Africa Branch – Third ColloquiumThe solutions to Africa’s complex and persistent development ...
01/04/2026

📢 Call for Abstracts: ICSD Africa Branch – Third Colloquium

The solutions to Africa’s complex and persistent development challenges lie within the continent. We invite scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and civil society actors to come together to advance contextually grounded, transformative social development solutions.

🌍 The International Consortium for Social Development (ICSD) Africa Branch is pleased to announce its Third Colloquium under the theme:

“African Solutions to Achieving the Vision of the Doha Political Declaration”

This colloquium follows the Second World Summit for Social Development (Doha, Qatar, November 2025) and provides a vital African platform to explore how its commitments can be realised across diverse African contexts through locally grounded, evidence-based, and socially just approaches.

📝 We invite abstracts for empirical papers that engage with African social development innovations in relation to the Doha Declaration, focusing on one or more of the following priority areas:

- Eradicating poverty
- Promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Advancing social integration
- Addressing social development skills and human capital loss in Africa

Submissions should go beyond describing programmes. We are looking for rigorous, research-based contributions that:

- Highlight the novelty and significance of the innovation
- Explain how it was designed and informed by evidence
- Detail the research methodology
- Present empirical findings and outcomes
Reflect on the implications for social development, policy, and theory

📅 Important Dates
• 10 April 2026 – Abstract submission deadline
• 20 April 2026 – Notification of acceptance
• 24–25 June 2026 – ICSD Africa Branch Colloquium

🌐 The colloquium will be hosted as a pre-conference event of the
2026 Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development (SWSD 2026), themed:
“Harambee for Sustainable Shared Futures.”

⚠️ Limited to 70 participants — places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Registration fee: $50 (details will be shared upon abstract acceptance).

👉 Submit your abstract here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=zVp4-u82vEGKlImEEyfgRUIkq-rnODBBpb_jv7DxPcVUQU82TUE0TTIwT1IzQTlVWDFRTlk4NktBWS4u

We look forward to your contributions to shaping African-led solutions for a more just and sustainable future. 🌍✨

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69 Kingsway Avenue, Auckland Park
Johannesburg
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Tuesday 08:00 - 16:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 16:00
Thursday 08:00 - 16:00
Friday 08:00 - 16:00

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