Ford Celebrates a Decade of Innovation and Social Impact at 2025 Enactus National Exposition

• University of Mpumalanga crowned 2025 Enactus South Africa National Champion for two high-impact student-led enterprises; set to represent South Africa at the Enactus World Cup
• Ford College Community Challenge (Ford C3) celebrates 10 years of impact in South Africa, awarding grants to student-led projects tackling sustainability, food security and youth unemployment
• Ford C3 Cycle 12 first place prize awarded to University of Mpumalanga, with second and third place going to Durban University of Technology and University of the Western Cape, recognising their outstanding community-based solutions and entrepreneurial excellence

 

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA, 07 August 2025 – The 2025 Enactus South Africa National Exposition once again served as a powerful platform for student-led innovation, collaboration and social impact.

The event brought together teams from 25 universities, with 15 showcasing entrepreneurial solutions to some of South Africa’s most pressing challenges. The event drew more than 450 attendees, including students, faculty advisors, corporate executives as well as Enactus alumni, all united by a shared commitment to building a more inclusive and sustainable future through entrepreneurial action.

Taking top honours as the 2025 Enactus National Champion was the University of Mpumalanga, recognised for two high-impact student enterprises that blend sustainability, education and youth empowerment.

• CSK Environmental Consulting is a sustainability-focused enterprise, addressing water quality challenges in South Africa’s water-intensive sectors. Their flagship innovation, the CSK Aqua Device, integrated within an Earth View App, offers real-time monitoring of water quality indicators like pH, turbidity, and contamination. This empowers clients to act swiftly, comply with regulations, and protect both communities and ecosystems.

CSK also delivers environmental law and sustainability workshops tailored for SMEs. Workshop themes include Clean Water and Sanitation, Sustainable Cities, and Life on Land – all of which are part of the United Nations’ global goals to end poverty, protect the planet and promote prosperity by 2030.

• Ehlanzeni Star School, a non-profit education and skills centre in Mbombela, supports out-of-school youth with matric rewrites, computer literacy, tutoring as well as driver’s licence training. From July 2024 to June 2025, the school empowered 365 learners, including 120 who rewrote their matric exams in November 2024 and 60 who completed driving skills training through its tuition-based model supported by donor funding.

Together, these projects demonstrate how student-led innovation can bridge critical gaps in environmental sustainability and access to education, with measurable impact and scalable potential.

Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (Manufacturing) (Pty) Limited (“Ford South Africa”) will sponsor the University of Mpumalanga team as they represent South Africa at the Enactus World Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, from 25-28 September 2025, joining 32 other national champion teams in showcasing world-class student-led innovation.

“The innovation and commitment we saw at this year’s exposition is nothing short of extraordinary. These students are tackling real-world challenges with energy, creativity and compassion,” said Yota Baron, Chief Financial Officer at Ford South Africa and Board Member of Enactus South Africa. “We are honoured to support them as they take their solutions to the global stage.”

Ford C3 – Building Sustainable Communities through Student Innovation

The Ford College Community Challenge (Ford C3) is a global grant competition funded by Ford Philanthropy and implemented in partnership with Enactus. It supports student-led projects that drive sustainable community development, with a focus on areas such as mobility, economic opportunity, education, environmental sustainability and safety.

Rooted in Henry Ford’s belief in practical education, Ford C3 enables students to turn classroom knowledge into real-world solutions. As Ford founder Henry Ford famously said, “A man’s college and university degrees mean nothing to me until I see what he is able to do with them.”

Launched in 2008, the Ford C3 Building Sustainable Communities Project Partnership between Ford and Enactus uses a strategic ‘hand-up, not hand-out’ approach. With financial support from Ford Philanthropy, Enactus teams at universities are challenged to use entrepreneurial action to find innovative solutions to complex social problems and community concerns, while empowering communities to become more self-reliant.

“What makes the Ford C3 programme so powerful is that it enables students to move from concept to real-world impact,” noted Baron. “Their confidence grows as their ideas evolve into viable, community-based solutions. That’s the true value of this partnership between Ford and Enactus.”

A Decade of Impact and a Growing Global Reach

This year marks 10 years of collaboration between Ford and Enactus South Africa. Over this period, the Ford C3 Challenge has become a cornerstone of student-led social innovation, now supporting young changemakers in Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Germany, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

The 2025 Enactus National Exposition also marked the conclusion of Cycle 12 (year 12) of the Ford C3 Challenge in South Africa. This year’s competition spotlighted outstanding student-led initiatives and awarded over US$9,000 in grants to the top three teams:

• The University of Mpumalanga claimed first place with Reviva Designs, earning US$5,000 in grant funding for their innovative approach to transforming post-consumer glass waste into eco-conscious building materials, while simultaneously creating local employment opportunities and promoting environmental sustainability.
• Durban University of Technology secured second place (US$3,000) for Myco Feeds, a sustainable mushroom cultivation initiative designed to boost food security and empower local communities.
• University of the Western Cape took third place (US$1,000) for WebMax, a digital empowerment platform that provides youth with digital skills and freelance opportunities, while helping SMMEs enhance their online presence.

A representative from the winning Ford C3 team will also join the national champions as observers at the Enactus World Cup.

“As we celebrate a decade of meaningful collaboration, I remain inspired by the passion and potential of our youth. Let’s continue to uplift communities, empower future leaders, and build solutions that truly matter. These projects are powerful examples of how young South Africans are finding real solutions to challenges like waste management, food insecurity and digital inequality. It’s a privilege to be part of something that not only celebrates innovation but actively invests in the future of our country,” concluded Baron.

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