India to set up Ayush chair at Durban University of Technology, opens Ayush cell
Representative image: ulleo / Pixabay
India has signed an MoU to set up an Ayush chair at South Africa's Durban University of Technology, an official said at a Durban symposium reported on 12 October 2026.
What Happened
India has signed a memorandum of understanding to set up an Ayush chair at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) in South Africa, Monal Das, Joint Secretary for International Cooperation in the Ministry of Ayush, told a two-day conference in Durban, according to reports published on 12 October 2026. The symposium was organised by the Consulate General of India in Durban. At the same event, Consul General Nitin Subash Yeola announced the opening of an Ayush Information Cell at the consulate, to act as a point of contact for Ayurveda and other Indian traditional medicine systems in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal and neighbouring provinces.
Key Facts
- India has signed an MoU with the Durban University of Technology to establish an Ayush chair, according to the Ministry of Ayush official.
- The chair is meant to promote Ayurveda and other Ayush systems in health education and research.
- Stated aims include academic exchange, healthcare research, regulatory cooperation and trade in herbal medicines between India and African countries.
- An Ayush Information Cell has been opened at the Indian Consulate General in Durban.
- The symposium was organised by the Indian consulate and brought together Ayush experts.
- South Africa's Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Narend Singh, spoke at the event on preserving medicinal plants.
- No start date, funding details or holder for the chair were announced.
Why It Matters
Ayush is the Indian government's umbrella term for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy. Under its Ayush Chair programme, the ministry sets up academic chairs in foreign universities to support teaching, research and awareness of these systems. According to the government's guidelines for the programme, a chair holder is expected to deliver at least two public lectures a year, arranged by the host university. A chair gives a traditional system a formal place inside a foreign academic institution, which matters because recognition by universities and regulators is what allows practitioners and products to operate legally abroad.
The choice of partner has an academic logic. DUT's research interests include African indigenous knowledge systems, which gives the chair an obvious academic link: both sides are trying to study traditional remedies with scientific methods, protect medicinal plants from over-harvesting, and set up rules for safe herbal products.
The regulatory angle may prove the most important in practice. Herbal and traditional medicine products face very different rules from country to country, and the lack of clear standards limits trade. Reports from the symposium say the Indian side offered help to South Africa and other African countries in building regulatory frameworks. The South African deputy minister's focus on conserving medicinal plants points to a shared concern: as demand for herbal medicines grows, wild plant populations come under pressure.
For students and practitioners, a chair at a South African university could mean new courses, joint research projects and exchange visits, though none of these has been announced in detail yet.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Host university | Durban University of Technology, South Africa |
| Agreement | MoU signed for an Ayush chair |
| New office | Ayush Information Cell, Indian Consulate General, Durban |
| Announced at | Two-day symposium in Durban, reported 12 October 2026 |
| Not yet announced | Start date, funding, chair holder |
Impact
Short-term: The new Ayush Information Cell gives people and businesses in KwaZulu-Natal a contact point for information on Ayush systems, education and products.
Long-term: Once running, the chair could support joint research, training and regulatory cooperation, and open doors for Indian Ayush products and practitioners in African markets.
Who is affected: Ayush practitioners and students in India and South Africa; researchers in traditional medicine; herbal product makers and exporters; and regulators in African countries.
Key Takeaway
India is placing an Ayush chair at Durban University of Technology and opening an Ayush cell in Durban to build academic, research and regulatory ties on traditional medicine with Africa.
Questions and Answers
What is the Ayush chair at Durban University of Technology?
It is an academic chair India plans to set up at DUT, under an MoU already signed, to promote teaching and research in Ayurveda and other Ayush systems, according to a Ministry of Ayush official speaking in Durban.
What does an Ayush chair holder do?
Under the Ministry of Ayush's chair programme, holders support academic collaboration, research and awareness, and are expected to give at least two public lectures a year at the host university.
What is the Ayush Information Cell in Durban?
It is a new office at the Consulate General of India in Durban that will serve as a point of contact on Ayush and traditional medicine for Durban, KwaZulu-Natal and neighbouring provinces.
When will the chair start?
No start date, budget or chair holder has been announced yet.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
