# Pan African Universities Debating Championship

Pan-African Universities Debating Championship (PAUDC) is the biggest intercollegiate debate championship in Africa, established in 2008 by the University of Botswana Debate Masters Association. PAUDC is held in the British Parliamentary debate format (involving four teams of two people in each debate).
The 2021 edition of the PAUDC was the 2nd edition to be held virtually as a result of travel restrictions and other issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The virtual tournament was hosted by the University of Botswana Debate Masters Association in Botswana under the theme, “Channeling the roots of African Debate.”
The current PAUDC champions are Menzimuhle Ncube and Providence Nhongo of University of Cape Town.
The 2025 Edition and the 17th Edition of this tournament, will be hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa at the University of the Witwatersrand and has been slated for the 1st - 8th of December 2025.

## History

The OSI African Regional Office and the Youth Initiative partnered with the Pan-African Universities Debating Championship (PAUDC) organizing committee and the University of Botswana to organize the first-ever Pan African Universities Debating Championship in 2008 to provide students from various African universities the opportunity to interrogate issues of African and Global importance.

## Format

The championship is usually held in eight days. It usually takes place in the first two weeks of December and is being hosted in a different country every year
The PAUDC structure is the British Parliamentary (BP), made up of four teams of two, with two teams supporting a motion, and two teams opposing. Debating teams are independent and compete with each other.
The competition involves nine preliminary rounds, which become "power-paired" as the tournament progresses, matching the strongest-performing teams against each other. The process of scoring and pairing these teams is known as "tabbing". The scoring of teams is done by judges, most of whom are students or former students from the competing institutions, who then return "ballots" with their scores to the adjudication team, led by a Chief Adjudicator who is assisted by one or more deputies.
At the end of the debate, teams are ranked from 1st to 4th.
The team names are as follows. Opening Government (OG), consisting of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister; Opening Opposition (OO), consisting of the Opposition Leader and Deputy Opposition Leader; Closing Government (CG), consisting of the Government Member and Government Whip; and Closing Opposition (CO), consisting of the Opposition Member and the Opposition Whip.
The speaking order is Prime Minister, Opposition Leader, Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Opposition Leader, and so forth.

## List of tournaments

| Year | Host City | Hosting Institution | Winning Institution | Final Motion | Best Speaker | Winning team |
| 8-14 December 2008 | Botswana, Gaborone | University of Botswana | Won by the University of the Free State, South Africa | |
| 12-18 December 2009 | Botswana, Gaborone | University of Botswana | Won by Rhodes University, South Africa | GF: THW abolish all limits on immigration. |
| 4-11 December 2010 | Namibia, Windhoek | University of Namibia | Won by University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg | |
| 4-11 December 2011 | Zimbabwe, Bulawayo | Falcon College | Won by the University of Pretoria, South Africa | THW have the African Union take over all peacekeeping duties in Africa |
| 9-15 December 2012 | South Africa, Pretoria | Tshwane University of Technology | Won by the University of Cape Town, South Africa | | Mighti Jamie |
| November 29- December 8, 2013 | Nigeria, Calabar | University of Calabar | Won by the University of Cape Town, South Africa | |
| 4-12 December 2014 | South Africa, Polokwane | University of Limpopo | Won by the University of Botswana, Botswana | INFO SLIDE THR Kim Kardashian's recent photoshoot. |
| 8-17 December 2015 | Ghana, Accra | University of Ghana | Won by University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg | | Mighti Jamie |
| 9-17 December 2016 | Zimbabwe, Gweru | Midlands State University | Won by University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg | | |
| 7-15 December 2017 | Cameroon, Buea | University of Buea | Won by Midlands State University, Zimbabwe | | Minenhle Nzana |
| 8-16 December 2018 | Tanzania, Dars es Salaam | University of Dars es Salaam | Won by Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) | | |
| 8-16 December 2019 | Ghana. Kumasi | Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology | Won by Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) | | Adekunbi Ademola | Micheal Ampah and Erasmus Mawuli Segbefia |
| 14-20 December 2020 | Virtual | Makerere University and Royal Rhetorics | Won by Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) | This House Believes That judicial systems should more harshly punish people found guilty of committing crimes against members of social groups who experience disproportionately high rates of violence regardless of that offender’s intent (i.e. women, ethnic minorities) | lindokuhle Mabaso and Dan Lee | Kojo Opoku Acheampong and Abena Achiaa Otuo |
| 09-12 December 2021 | Virtual | University of Botswana | Won by Rhodes University (South Africa) | THW, as the African Union, Grant members of the 6th Region economic and Political Rights | Sodiq Farhan | Franciscus Crouse and Oyisa Katshaza |
| 08-15 December 2022 | Nairobi | Strathmore University | Won by Veritas University (Nigeria) | THBT that the AU should recognise the statehood of Somaliland | Elisha Owusu Akyaw | Ayafa Tonye, Edwin Ochiedo |
| 03-11 December 2023 | Lome | Universite de Lome | Won by Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) | Champagne socialism refers to a form of socialism where a group of rich/upper class individuals advocate for a fair society where everyone has equal rights and the rich people help the poor. THW promote champagne socialism in Africa | Prosper-Michael Ametu and Umuhairu Teni Alhassan | Prosper-Michael Ametu and Umuhairu Teni Alhassan |
| 15-22 December 2024 | Kampala | Kyambogo University | Winners, Debate: University of Cape Town, Public Speech: Kyambogo University | THR the decline of Ubuntu in African Communities. | Debate: Michelle Adika & Alec Becky, PS: Onyait Churchill. | Menzimuhle Ncube & Providence Nhongo. |
| 1-8 December 2025 | Johannesburg | University of Witwatersrand | To be determined | To be determined. | To be determined. | To be determined. |
| December 2026 | Abuja | Veritas University | To be determined | To be determined. | To be determined. | To be determined. |