Shared Ministries - Africa University Fund News

Alumni In Action

 

Nditwani Muleya, a manager in the public sector, says she has benefited immensely from the Public Sector Management Training Programme (PSMTP). Currently, she is the Director for Economic Research in the Department of Economic Research and Policy Analysis in the Office of the President and Cabinet in Zimbabwe.

“The PSMTP has equipped me with skills which have enabled me to carry out my duties in a more professional and effective manner, said Muleya. “It has changed the way I approach my work and the way I interact with my colleagues and subordinates.”

Muleya highlighted sharpened research, analysis and negotiation skills as well as greater confidence, both career-wise and in her personal life, as key outcomes of her training at Africa University. In addition, the PSMTP has created a platform for her to network with colleagues on the African continent, especially those she studied with from Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

“We now have a platform for sharing information and ideas as Public Sector Managers in Africa, since we face the same challenges as a continent, said Muleya. “The PSMTP has enabled us to see that for Africa to overcome most of its challenges, unity is key.”

 For Muleya, one of the most important lessons learnt from the programme is that the civil service in Africa must re-orient itself and become more responsive to the needs and values of the people it serves.

Nditwani Muleya, (PSMTP, 2010) Zimbabwe

  

 

In this Season of Graduation, Remember Africa University and the Scholars Making a Difference

by Mary Beth Coudal

Mande Muyombo is the oldest of 16 siblings; his father earned the equivalent of 30 dollars a month. The scholarship Rev. Muyombo received from Global Ministries to attend Africa University made all the difference in the world to him. The education set Rev. Muyombo on a path to becoming the leader he is within The United Methodist Church.

"I appreciate very much the generosity and love of the people called United Methodists. I look at myself as the return on the investment and sacrifice of many United Methodist men and women," Mr. Muyombo says.

Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Katanga, Rev. Muyombo studied theology at Africa University from 2002 to 2006 and then from 2006 to 2008 joined the Institute of Peace Leadership and Governance there. During his master's studies, he served as an international student advisor and directed the Africa University Choir.

Currently, Rev. Muyombo is the director of Kamina Methodist University in the North Katanga Episcopal Area in the Congo. He is married to Blandine Mujinga Ngoy, who is completing her bachelor's in education at Africa University. They have two daughters: Christiana Mande, seven, and Christelle, one.
In 2011, the Global Ministries Scholarship office will support 68 African scholars, many of whom, like Rev. Muyombo, will go on to lead churches, communities, and governments. Eleven of the 2011 scholars will attend Africa University.

Africa University is a United Methodist university founded in 1992, which currently serves more than 1,200 pan-African students in a variety of fields. The university is located in Mutare, Zimbabwe. While the country has struggled economically and politically, the university continues to provide a quality education to its scholars.

"Africa University's promotion of hands-on experience through internships in the areas of student study, and its commitment to trying so hard, even in high-stress economic times, to provide even small scholarships to as many students as possible, makes for both a greatly nurturing--as well as a very stimulating--environment," said Lisa Katzenstein, Global Ministries scholarship executive. 

Bishop David Yemba , resident bishop of the Central Congo episcopal area and chancellor of Africa University, talks about global theological education needs during a meeting in Atlanta, Ga.

African Theological Institutions Join Together

Bishops and educators are forming an association of African Theological Institutions in the hope of increasing cooperation among institutions and improving United Methodist theological education on the continent of Africa.

Bishop David Yemba, resident bishop of the Central Congo episcopal area and chancellor of Africa University, has written United Methodist bishops in Africa asking that they send a representative from the theological institution in their area to Africa University in September. Representatives from the United Methodist theological institutions will meet at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe, during the College of African Bishops meeting.

“I encourage each bishop to nominate a representative even from an episcopal area where we do not have an institution of theological education at a university or college level – provided, however, that the nominee has himself/herself a university/college level of education,” Yemba wrote.

Such an association was recommended in 2005 by the Geneva Group, which worked on the Francophone Course of Study, as well as by groups which met in Kampala, Uganda, and Atlanta, Ga., to discuss global theological education in The United Methodist Church. An association has also been endorsed by the United Methodist African Bishops, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and the General Board of Global Ministries.

Explore more resources about global theological education

Rena Yocom, assistant general secretary for Clergy Formation and Theological Education, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, said that many of the African theological schools face monumental issues.

“The association will provide a place where they can come together to face those issues. There will be strength in working together,” Yocom said.

She said one pilot project already in the works is the development of a faculty exchange. “Many of the schools don’t have enough faculty and have a hard time finding faculty for particular courses,” she said.

Under the faculty exchange proposal, the seminary would provide housing and pay living expenses.

The College of African Bishops will meet from Sept. 5-9, 2011. Yemba asked that participants in the theological association meet Sept. 5-6. The bishops and theological school representatives will meet together on Sept. 6.

--by Vicki Brown, assoc. editor and writer, GBHEM