NWU delivers PhD graduates from every corner of Africa

Nelson Mandela once said he dreamed of the realisation of a unified Africa, whereby its leaders combined their efforts to solve the problems of the continent.

At the North-West University's (NWU's) recent PhD graduation on its campus in Vanderbijlpark, it was evident that his dream is growing closer to being fulfilled when no less than seven graduates hailing from elsewhere on the continent were awarded their PhDs.

Eleanor Chipeta originally started her career in the banking sector in Malawi. She obtained a PhD in entrepreneurship and is currently conducting postdoctoral research at Wits University. Her study was titled: "Antecedents of social entrepreneurial intentions among Generation Y university students in South Africa".

Thomans Habanabakize was born in Rwanda and completed a BSc in philosophy at Philosophat Isidore Bakanja in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1999. He obtained a PhD in economic and management sciences at the NWU with his thesis: "Time-series analysis of the interactions between productivity, real wage, investment spending and sectoral employment in South Africa". During his post-graduate studies between 2015 and 2018, he published a total of eight research articles in internationally scripted journals, together with his supervisors.

Michael Pasara also received his PhD in economic and management sciences, with a focus on economics. His thesis: "The welfare effects of economic integration in the Tripartite Free Trade Area" investigated whether or not economic integration is beneficial for Africans. He hails from the dusty rural village of Buhera in Zimbabwe, and is the founder of Conquerors International, a ministry with a vision to empower Africans through spiritual and intellectual knowledge. He has also authored two self-empowerment books.

Kazeem Abimbola Sanusi was born in Oyo State in Nigeria in 1983. He is an established researcher in the field of monetary and fiscal policy and has published a number of articles and presented papers in both local and international journals. His thesis: "An economic analysis of fiscal policy and monetary policy interdependence: a comparative study between Nigeria and South Africa" earned him a PhD in economic and management sciences with a focus on economics.

Michael Galukande hails from Uganda, where he has been a consultant in public policy and governance at the Uganda Management Institute in Kampala for the past five years. His thesis: "Evaluation of participatory governance for enhancing quality of local governments: A case of six selected governments in Central Uganda" earned him a PhD in public management and governance.

Hilda Jaka was born in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe and grew up in the Chivi District. She worked as a high school teacher for four years and as a junior lecturer at Zimbabwe Open University for five years. She obtained a PhD in development and management for her study: "An exploration of WEF-Nexus coping strategies of rural women in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe and Limpopo Province, South Africa". She has published two papers in peer-reviewed journals with a focus on rural development.

Innocent Nuwagaba obtained his PhD in public management and governance with a study entitled: "An assessment of public private partnerships in the road sector: A case of Uganda National Roads Authority". He is currently employed at the Uganda Management Institute as a consultant in project management, procurement management and monitoring and evaluation.

The NWU is proud of these seven new alumni whose hard work and commitment contributes towards the realisation of the NWU's dream: to be an internally recognised university in Africa, distinguished for engaged scholarship, social responsibility and an ethic of care.