Held by The University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Johannesburg, the event titled "Unlocking Africa’s Potential" was aimed at fostering greater collaboration and partnership between the three federations to advance university sport in Africa.

“FISU is committed to supporting the development of university sports in Africa, and we look forward to working with our partners to achieve this goal," said FISU Acting President Leonz Eder, who attended the strategic dialogue together with FISU acting vice-president Luciano Cabral and FISU secretary general and chief executive Éric Saintrond. 

Barry Hendricks, President of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, also took part in the event.

He stressed the importance of sports in education, noting that sports not only promote physical fitness but also foster teamwork, leadership, and critical thinking skills. 

He also insisted on the imperative of gender representation in leadership and inclusive sport.

"I urge you to work together to promote sports and education in Africa," Hendricks said.

“By working together, we can achieve more than we ever could alone."

Other speakers discussed various topics related to university sport in Africa, including the development of student sports programmes, athlete welfare, disability sport, the use of social media and the promotion of gender equality in sports.

At the last Summer Universiade in Naples in 2019, Africa's overall total of 26 medals was a record.

That exceeded the continent's best previous performance at the International University Sports Federation's flagship event, when 22 medals were won in Belgrade in 2009.

Leading the way was South Africa.

They won a total of 18 medals, including six gold, to finish 10th overall.

Five of the gold medals came in swimming, with Tatjana Schoenmaker and Tayla Lovemore winning two each.