The National Plan for Higher Education introduced the concept of National Institutes in order to address the inadequate provision of higher education in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape Provinces.

In May 2001, the Minister of Education appointed two working groups for Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape respectively, whose brief was to advise the Minister with regards to the model and framework for the establishment of a National Institute for Higher Education in both provinces.

The reports of the abovementioned working groups resulted in the amendments of the Higher Education Act (No. 101 of 1997) in 2003. The National Institutes were then established as juristic persons to coordinate the regional provision of higher education through programme collaboration with public higher education institutions operating in the respective provinces.

In line with the above provisions, the Boards for the National Institutes in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape were appointed in July and September 2006 respectively, with a renewable office term of 4 years.

The Minister launched the Board of the National Institute for Higher Education: Mpumalanga in October 2006 at Emnotweni Arena, in Nelspruit.