Winners of the Enactus South Africa National Exposition 2026 challenge. (Image supplied)
Nelson Mandela University students’ Batho Pele BioLoop Africa Farm project emerged as the overall winner at the 2026 Enactus South Africa National Exposition.
The artificial intelligence (AI)-powered circular farming solution earned the team the title of 2026 champions and a place at the Enactus World Cup in Brazil later this year.
The annual exposition brings together university teams from across the country to showcase businesses that combine entrepreneurship with social impact.
The national champions will represent SA at the Enactus World Cup in Sao Paulo in November, where they will compete against student enterprises from around the globe.
The student-led enterprise transforms food, organic and plastic waste into sustainable resources using AI, hydroponics and circular farming systems, creating a self-sustaining agricultural business model that addresses food insecurity, unemployment and environmental sustainability.
The project was selected as SA’s top student business venture from a field of entrepreneurial innovations tackling pressing social and economic challenges.
Enactus South Africa is part of the global Enactus network and works with universities to encourage students to develop entrepreneurial projects that create measurable social, environmental and economic impact. Student teams establish enterprises to solve real-world problems and build sustainable business models.
Finishing as first runner-up was the University of the Western Cape team with its Eco-Vision project, an entrepreneurial initiative focused on developing sustainable, environmentally-driven solutions to address community challenges.
The University of Johannesburg team secured second-runner-up honours with EcoBana, a circular-economy enterprise that transforms banana plant waste into biodegradable products, creating economic opportunities while reducing agricultural waste.
“The winning project stood out for its use of AI, hydroponics and circular farming systems to convert food, organic and plastic waste into sustainable resources,” says Enactus South Africa.
“The initiative addresses multiple challenges simultaneously, including food insecurity, unemployment and environmental sustainability, while demonstrating how technology and entrepreneurship can be combined to create commercially-viable community solutions.
“Together, these projects showcased how student entrepreneurs are using innovation and sustainable business models to tackle pressing social, environmental and economic challenges.”
Alongside the national competition, Ford South Africa announced the winners of its Ford Community Resiliency Student Challenge, an initiative aimed at supporting student-led enterprises that strengthen communities through entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainable business solutions.
The challenge engages undergraduate students across six countries, including SA, to build critical future-of-work skills, while implementing community projects that address disaster preparedness, disaster relief, community resilience and essential services.
“The challenges facing South Africa require innovative thinking, entrepreneurial action and strong partnerships,” says Dudu Nxele, who leads corporate social responsibility and the work of Ford Philanthropy at Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa.
“The Ford Community Resiliency Student Challenge is about helping young entrepreneurs transform those ideas into sustainable businesses that create opportunity, strengthen communities and leave a lasting impact for generations to come.”
The University of KwaZulu-Natal claimed first place in the Ford Community Resiliency Student Challenge with MyPanic, a freemium mobile application designed to improve student safety.
Developed in response to concerns around gender-based violence and crime, the platform provides instant emergency assistance, real-time alerts and wearable device integration. It also connects students, parents, universities and emergency responders through live location sharing and coordinated incident response.
Second place went to the University of the Free State for Nexa Pals, a web application that introduces children aged 10 years and older to computer programming through gamified learning.
Designed for schools, educators and learners, the platform combines self-paced learning, collaboration and instant feedback to make coding more accessible.
The University of Cape Town secured third place with DesignLynk, an online marketplace that connects professional computer-aided design professionals and engineers with clients across Africa, seeking technical design expertise.
The platform allows clients to source verified professionals, while managing projects from concept to completion, creating new economic opportunities for engineering and design talent across the continent.
Ford South Africa notes it is expanding its partnership with Enactus South Africa beyond the competition itself by providing practical support to this year’s national champions as they prepare for the Enactus World Cup.
The company will work with the Nelson Mandela University team to strengthen its presentation, financial reporting and marketing strategy ahead of the international competition, while also sponsoring the team’s airfare to Brazil.
