Nelson Mandela University and its collaborating partners will host the International Conference on Community Engagement (ICCE) 2026.
The hybrid gathering will bring community leaders, researchers, public officials and practitioners to Gqeberha to develop shared responses to substance abuse and its effects on community wellbeing.
The conference will take place at the Nelson Mandela University Business School from 28–30 October under the theme “From Fragmentation to Convergence: Building Quintuple Helix Ecosystems for Societal Transformation”.
The ICCE 2026 will bring together communities, universities, government, civil society, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems to explore collaborative responses to complex societal challenges.
The conference’s Quintuple Helix approach connects five spheres: communities and civil society; government; the economic and enterprise sector; the environment and Indigenous Knowledge; and learning institutions, including universities, colleges, schools and community learning centres.
It aims to create a space where these groups can build trust, share responsibility and develop practical responses together.
Discussions will focus on four themes: community engagement as a transformative response; the civic university’s role in bringing different sectors together; societal challenges in context; and how to build lasting collaboration.
Over three days, the programme will move from examining the systems behind these challenges to sharing practical examples and developing approaches for joint action.
It will include keynote addresses, facilitated discussions, workshops, case studies and working groups involving participants from different sectors.
The organisers aim to use the discussions to inform a Global Communiqué, a 12-month collaborative action agenda, an international community of practice and policy-focused outputs.
Dr Bruce Peter Damons, Director of the Engagement Office at Nelson Mandela University and conference chairperson, said ahead of the main conference, two pre-conference workshops on October 27 will offer practical approaches to care, healing and wellbeing.
“Our hope is that we leave ICCE 2026 with more than new ideas, but also new relationships, stronger partnerships and practical commitments.”