About Wits School of Governance
Our vision is to be Africa’s leading School of Governance that is research-led, globally competitive and a recognised postgraduate institution that seeks to achieve transformative governance in the public, private and non-governmental sectors.
Our mission is advance inclusive, transformative and ethical governance in the African continent through capacitating public sector and knowledge leaders, producing internationally competitive and locally relevant scholarship on governance, promoting inclusive development outcomes, and contributing to an effective and accountable public sector.
Our shared values are:
- commitment to excellence,
- accountability,
- collegiality, trust, ethical conduct,
- fairness, collaboration, and inclusiveness.
Based at leading higher education institution in South Africa, the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University), the Wits School of Governance strives to be Africa’s leading school of governance by promoting inclusive and transformative governance and contributing to building state capabilities.
The Wits School of Governance promotes inclusive and transformative governance in Africa through:
- Strategic collaboration with institutions
- Impactful teaching, research, and service
- Innovative research and thought leadership
- Contributing to state capability and ethical leadership
- Building societies’ capability to hold the state accountable.
At the Wits School of Governance, we offer academic programmes, executive short courses and online courses to address development, policy and economic challenges with expert tuition and supervision. The Wits School of Governance formerly known as the Wits Graduate School of Public and Development Management (P&DM) was established in the early 1990s with the primary purpose of helping to build a post-apartheid public service. After an extensive revaluation process in 2013 the School changed the name of the school to the Wits School of Governance.
Since its inception, the School has contributed to public service capacity development over the past 20 years and has played a pioneering role in using the independent and neutral space of the University to facilitate interaction between civil society, the academy and practitioners.
Academic Development Unit
Our Academic Development Unit (ADU) offers a variety of postgraduate diploma and degree programmes in fields that focus on governance, management, public policy, and the development sector. We are proud to present a team of over 40 highly qualified academics with extensive experience in these various fields, who will support our students in their academic journey with the Wits School of Governance (WSG).
Executive Education Unit
Our Executive Education Unit (EDU) seeks to advance good governance in Africa by offering executive courses in public leadership, municipal finance, governance, ethics, public policy, monitoring, and evaluation to empower the next generation of leaders in government, the development sector and civic society.