Author: Tumiso Kevin Mokakangwe, ALUSB Intern
Pursuing an MBA is a big commitment. Although the ALUSB offers a blended MBA programme that allows students to stay employed, it’s still a demanding, 20-month programme that will take grit and discipline to complete. So before embarking on their MBA journey, most people want to answer one question: is an MBA degree worth it? Our Alumni think it is!
Read on to discover Alumni reflections on these skills they acquired during the ALUSB MBA programme and how they have used the skills in their current roles!
1. Cross-departmental competency
Manji Cheto ‘19, VP, Business Development and Operations at uLesson, Nigeria
“One of the most significant benefits of an MBA is that it allows you the opportunity to take a 360 view of an organisation. Your thinking is no longer siloed to just your area of expertise or focus, but you can see and understand how all the units and departments affect the whole. On any given day, I can be working on sales, marketing, finance, or customer service. I can now dive in and out of various departmental responsibilities, ensuring that they are synchrony across multiple units. Of course, this is a constant work in progress.”
2. Navigating doing business in Africa
Luthando Vuba ‘19, Head of Africa-China Trade at Standard Bank Group, South Africa
“ALUSB has equipped me well for my current role as Head of Africa-China Trade for the Standard Bank Group. Lessons on understanding African business political and economic contexts, navigating doing business in Africa and the macro-economic factors that drive or hamper international trade by African markets came in very handy.”
3. Leading by example
Jean-Pierre Iyamuremye ‘20, Senior SME’s Manager at Bank of Kigali, Rwanda
“The network of students from different African countries at ALUSB is a source of experience that is hard to duplicate. On top of that, I learned how to lead by example and leverage my team to reach our goals. It’s all about teamwork!“
4. Coaching and mentoring
Akshay Vishwanath ‘20, Manager – East Africa Portfolio at Maliasili, Kenya
“A lot of what I learned during the ALUSB experience is what I use in my current role, especially leadership. To this day, these lessons help me coach and mentor the clients that I work with.“
5. Self-awareness
Noel Mbise ‘19, General Manager – Research & Community at The Grumeti Fund, Tanzania
“The ALUSB MBA improved my understanding of myself and my leadership style while inspiring me to do better and more for my country and Africa at large. I’m more conscious of myself as a leader and the weight and responsibility that carries. I am thus even more deliberate than before to be an effective, value-driven and virtuous leader. I feel indebted to meaningfully help improve those I lead, my beloved country, Africa, and hopefully beyond.”
Want to read more stories from our ALUSB community? Here are some links to get you started:
- 10 INSPIRING PIECES OF ADVICE FROM POWERFUL WOMEN IN BUSINESS
- CONQUERING VIRTUAL LEARNING: A Q&A WITH ALUSB FACULTY
- THE ALUSB MBA ONLINE INTENSIVE WEEK: HIGHLIGHTS AND TAKEAWAYS
Applications to join our MBA classroom in October 2021 are now open! Start your application today at: https://bit.ly/O21ApplyNow!
