Professor Mpazi Sinjela becomes Unicaf University’s first Chancellor as the University celebrates the graduation of its first students.

Unicaf University had a lot to celebrate in December: Professor Mpazi Sinjela was officially inaugurated as the institution’s first Chancellor, during the historic graduation ceremony of its first cohort of students. The graduation ceremony was broadcast on social media and on Zambian TV, as it had to be held partly online due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Professor Sinjela became the first Vice Chancellor of Unicaf University in Zambia in 2017. A world renowned legal expert, Professor Sinjela is also an outstanding academic. He has had an illustrious international career, working for the United Nations in New York and in Africa, as well as for the World Intellectual Property Organisation Academy in Switzerland. He holds a Master of Laws and a Doctorate of Laws from Yale University in the USA and has served as visiting Professor at universities in Italy and Sweden, and at the Hague Academy of International Law in the Netherlands.

During the graduation ceremony, the current Vice Chancellor of Unicaf University in Zambia, Dr Christine Phiri Mushibwe, presented the new Chancellor stating that Professor Sinjela was the ideal choice for this prestigious post, not only for his considerable achievements in academia and in international legal affairs, but also for his strength of character.

Addressing the graduands after his inauguration, the Chancellor of Unicaf University advised them to use their newly acquired knowledge to contribute towards the advancement of their countries and the improvement of the quality of life of their fellow citizens.

He stressed that education is one of the most important factors that influences personal and national development and urged the first graduates of Unicaf University in Zambia to aspire, as much as possible, to attain the highest level of education, and improve their career prospects at the global workplace. And he continued: “I wish to pay tribute to Unicaf University, which I had the privilege to serve as its first Vice Chancellor in Zambia, for the role it is playing at the global level and more particularly at the continental level. This University has brought higher education to our doorstep, through its virtual learning method. With Unicaf University it is now possible for anyone, regardless of location or financial situation, to access international quality higher education online, at an affordable cost, through the Unicaf Scholarship Programme, and contribute to national and continental development.”

A cocktail reception to celebrate the inauguration of the first Chancellor of Unicaf University was held at the University’s campus, in the presence of dignitaries including the former Governor of the Bank of Zambia Dr Caleb Fundanga, the Honourable Mr Justice Palan Mulonda, Judge of the Constitutional Court of Zambia, and leading entrepreneur Dr Lawrence Sikutwa, President of the LSA Group of Companies.

Unicaf University is an independent, multi-campus university, offering modern academic programmes that lead to internationally recognised qualifications, at affordable cost. The programmes offered by Unicaf University are accredited by the Higher Education Authority of Zambia. The Unicaf University campus in Zambia, located in Lusaka, is accredited by the British Education Council as a Higher Education Provider.

The OATS scholarship program is a project established by OATS Experience. OATS Experience is a member of the OATS Consultancy created in January 2020 to focus on corporate and mainstream digital and communication innovations, events and creating experiences for all and sundry within the techentertaiment and education solution.

OATS Experience intends to encourage and ensure that well deserving students despite the economic, social or geographical hardships have equal access to higher education. The program seeks to award credible and qualified young individuals the opportunity to advance their education through a full ride scholarship to local universities with the support of Access Bank Zambia, National Youth Development Council (NYDC), Center for Trade and Policy Development and DCIT (NGO).

The Graduate Project is designed to promote and increase academic excellence for secondary school students seeking higher education, as well as creating an environment that celebrates and promotes hard work across all academic disciplines. On the 23rd of May 2020, OATS Experience officially commenced the Project with the above-mentioned sponsors and partners; Over 3, 000 entries were received from across the country within two weeks of the advertisement, with 42% of the participants being female. The scholarship was very competitive making the process of narrowing down a large applicant pool very challenging.

The selection criteria were based on a number of factors, largely merit. After a long and thorough process of analyzing and evaluating the applications, the selection committee finally settled for the best 100 who were interviewed on 24th and 25th of September 2020 respectfully. Congenially, the interview was designed to determine how many are qualified ethically and morally from the perspective of interrogating their prowess in ethical and logical exchanges of dialogue to test their sincerity and integrity.

The OATS Consultancy, with the facilitation of one of its subsidiary companies, MOZO TV, will be airing the graduate project interviews on MOZO TV from the 7th to the 25th of December 2020. Interviewed candidates are encouraged to watch the show, see how they fared and whether they have been awarded the scholarship. MOZO TV is available on channel 94, on the start times decoder.

For more information on The Graduate Project, visit our social media pages and that of our partners and on our official website, www.oatsconsultancy.com