My Speech to USIU-Africa Graduating Class of 2025

The Chief Guest and Chancellor, Ambassador Dennis Awori, Board of Trustees, University Council, Management Board, University Senate, faculty, students, staff, and alumni present, parents and guardians, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, and the Graduating Class of 2025.

It is a deep honor to stand before you today, not only as your guest speaker but also as a proud alumnus of this university. USIU-Africa gave me more than a degree; it gave me the courage to dream, the discipline to lead, and the vision to serve.

I first sat in this graduation square when I graduated with a degree in Information Systems and Technology in 2011, and later earned my Executive MBA in 2014. To be here now, celebrating your moment, truly feels like a full-circle experience.

Like many of you today, I once sat where you are: excited, hopeful, and perhaps a little uncertain about what lay ahead. My career began in 2009, while still a student here, as an intern at Stanbic Bank in Chiromo, Westlands. I wasn’t given glamorous tasks. I filed documents, spooled data from the data stores, and ran errands. At first, I wondered if this was really what I had studied for. But in carrying out those small tasks, I discovered a timeless truth: greatness is born out of small beginnings.

After graduation, I joined Stanbic Bank South Sudan, where I spent nearly a decade, eventually becoming Country Head of STANLIB, the asset management arm of Standard Bank. Those years shaped me as a leader and taught me the value of patience, consistency, and resilience.

Later, together with colleagues, we co-founded Alpha Commercial Bank in South Sudan. Building a bank from scratch was risky and exhausting, but it reinforced an important truth: leadership is not about preserving what already exists; it is about daring to create what does not yet exist.

My journey then took me overseas to Australia, where I worked with ANZ, the leading bank in the Asia-Pacific region. There I experienced world-class banking systems, high standards, and a culture of excellence. That opportunity gave me confidence that education can place you on the global stage. Yet it also reminded me of something vital: global exposure only has value if it translates into local impact.

That realization brought me back home. I returned to South Sudan to help establish Horizon Bank, an institution built not only to provide financial services but also to contribute to nation-building. In a fragile economy, every account opened and every loan disbursed is more than a transaction; it is a step toward building trust, creating opportunity, and strengthening resilience.

Through all these stages, one truth has guided me: education has been my passport. My first degree at USIU-Africa opened the door to my career. My Executive MBA sharpened my leadership and strategic thinking. In 2015, I pursued a Business Economic Leadership course at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, which strengthened my capacity to lead with vision in complex environments. And today, as I pursue my Doctor of Business Administration, I am researching how fragile economies can build resilient banking systems to drive sustainable growth.

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” His words echo through my journey, and they align perfectly with the promise of this university: Education to take you places. Indeed, education has taken me from the lecture halls of USIU-Africa to boardrooms across Africa and beyond. And now, it will take each of you to places you may not yet imagine.

From this journey, I leave you with three lessons:

1. Resilience is a mindset. The obstacles you encounter are not barriers; they are stepping stones.
2. Education is lifelong. Graduation is not the end of learning. It is the beginning of a journey that will keep unlocking new opportunities.
3. Leadership is service. Titles and positions may fade, but the institutions you build, the people you uplift, and the impact you leave behind will endure.

Class of 2025, resilience is the bridge between your dreams and your destiny. Your USIU-Africa education can take you anywhere: from Safari Park to Juba, from Nairobi to Melbourne, from lecture halls to boardrooms. But true success will not be measured by how far you go. It will be measured by how much you give back, by the lives you touch, and by the institutions you help build.

And so, today, that responsibility and that opportunity rest in your hands. Use it boldly. Use it wisely. And use it to create a future worthy of your dreams.

I am proud to be a double alumnus of USIU-Africa. And today, I am even prouder of each of you. Congratulations, Class of 2025. The future is not waiting for you, the future is waiting on you.

Thank you.