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Africa University holds its 25th Graduation Ceremony on 8 June at its Main Campus in Mutare. Hook up and enjoy the proceedings starting at 9am.

9:30 – Proceeding are underway here with 145 international students to be capped. They constitute 27.6 percent of the total graduands.

9:35 – Local graduating students are 381 constituting 72.4 percent.  The total number of graduands is 526.

Board chairman Bishop Muyombo gives welcome address. He congratulates granduands for having walked  through the journey to complete their courses.
He applauds the university for upholding principles of Pan Africanism while imparting knowledge to students

9:36 – He welcomes vice chancellor Professor Munashe Furusa to the podium.

VC starts his speech

Professor Munashe Furusa starts by applauding students for overcoming hardships to this graduation day.

He thanks parents and other stakeholders for supporting the group that is graduating throughout their studies. Prof Furusa  shares achievements of the university in the past year and says they have set themselves to establishing a world class university.

9:30 – He says the University invested heavily in leveraging on technology in the advent of ICTs in today’s world. He says AU has over the years become a beacon of child and childhood studies.

9:33 -He adds that this year they broke ground to see the construction of a swimming pool. “For all the achievements, we thank the Lord without whom all that was achieved could not have been,” he says.

9:34– Prof Furusa  thanks the university board for a sterling effort in supporting university initiatives

9:38 – A traditional way of welcoming Chief Mutasa is being done by way of clapping hands and ululation.

9:41 – Minister of State for Manicaland and Chief Mutasa are belatedly welcomed by the director of ceremonies.

9: 44 – Prof Furusa says within the students lies the hopes and aspirations of the African continent.

9;46 – He says  54.6 of the graduands are women with fair share from beyond the country’s borders.

9:49 – He urges the graduands to be like their predecessors who have become movers and shakers in leadership positions across the continent. He singles out ZBC Chief Executive Mr Patrick Mavhura as an example.

9:54 – “For all the achievements, we thank the Lord without whom all that was achieved could not have been,” says Prof Furusa.

He thanks the university board for a sterling effort in supporting university initiatives and adds that the students are like water that refreshes the world.

10:01 – Reverend Greg Bergquist, the keynote speaker, in the podium now and opens his address with a prayer.  The Reverend is giving parables of perseverance, while applauding students for working hard throughout their course. He talks about love, loving one another and quotes from Deuteronomy 6. He quotes  Quotes Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu on perseverance.

Rev Bergquist says the principle of ubuntu should guide graduating students as they now move into their chosen professions
and adds that AU is a family and they are brothers and sisters in the Lord.

10: 11 – Rev Bergquist concludes his speech and the choir takes to the stage to entertain the crowd.

AU choir entertains the crowd during the University’s 25th Graduation ceremony on Saturday at the main campus in Mutare.

10:36 – Professor Pamela Machakanja, Dean College of Business, Peace, Leadership and Governance now introduces Dr Yamada who is being given an honorary degree.

10: 38 – Dr Ken Yamada donated towards the construction of the university library and ICT centre at the campus.

10:40 –  Dr Yamada makes a speech in appreciation of the honorary degree. he applauds AU for resilience in providing sound education to graduating students. Dr Yamada thanks AU for awarding him an honorary degree.

From left AU Vice Chancellor, Professor Munyasha Furusa, Acting General Secretary, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry Rev Greg Bergquist, Africa University Chancellor Bishop David Kekumba Yemba.

Guests follow proceedings during AU’s 25th Graduation ceremony on Saturday.

10: 43 – Dr Yamada concludes his short speech by urging graduating students ‘not to change money but let money change them.’

10:52 – Awarding of outstanding students begins. 91 graduands from the Statistics of Conventional and Continuing Education have been conferred with undergraduate degrees while 33 from the Computer Sciences department, 44 from the Agricultural Sciences, 56 from Health Sciences, 45 from the Social Sciences 22 from Theology, 70 from Humanities and 29 from the Education department also graduated with their first degrees.

12:12 – Graduands break into song and dance as the Chancellor declare all duly conferred with AU degrees.

Rev. Greg Bergquist is presented with his gift, a painting of zebras drinking from a pool depicting the beauty of Africa.

12:15– The new graduates now recite the university’s oath of allegiance.

Dr Yamada the recipient of the honorary doctorate in Human Letters, with the assistance of his wife receives his gift. The gift is a painting of a herd of cattle, depicting the “resourcefulness of Africa.”

12:30 – Guest of Honour Rev. Greg Bergquist is invited to the front to presented with a gift offered by the University. The gift is a painting depicting zebras browsing in a safari park.

Jacki Katunga, one of the new graduates gives vote of thanks.

12:35 – Dr Yamada, the recipient of the honorary doctorate in Human Letters is also invited to receive his gift. He is accompanied to the front by his wife, Mrs Yamada. The gift is a painting of a herd of cattle, depicting the “resourcefulness of Africa.”

12: 37 – Proceedings come to an end here through a vote of thanks by one of the graduates, Jackie Katunga.

12;40 – The Chancellor of AU Professor Munashe Furusa closes the ceremony by dissolving the congregation as a graduation ceremony before the closing prayer.

This brings to an end this live blog – Thank You.