MBALI Conference receives financial boost from Absa

The University of Zululand (UNIZULU) has received a R500 000 sponsorship from Absa for the hosting of the upcoming Management, Business, Administration and Legal Initiatives (MBALI) International Conference, scheduled to take place between August 2 and 4, 2022 in Richards Bay.

The 2022 MBALI International Conference is themed “Beyond the pandemic: Rejuvenation, Regeneration & Recovery Through Innovation”. The purpose of the conference has always been developmental – geared towards giving novice researchers and postgraduate students an opportunity to grow and hone their skills through interacting with experienced researchers. The event has burgeoned into much more than what the organising committee had initially expected, as it is now at a stage where insights are interrogated, and new ideas take their first breath. Absa has been the university partner since the inception of MBALI in 2016, and the relationship has grown stronger.

The handover event was attended by Absa’s Managing Executive Keketso “KK” Motsoene, UNIZULU Vice-Chancellor Professor Xoliswa Mtose, the deputy vice-chancellors, various executives, and key personnel from both organisations. The event was smoothly presided over by Wandile Ngubane, the relationship executive at Absa.

“On behalf of the university, I thank Absa for this contribution,” said Prof Mtose. “They have been generous sponsors and friends of the university, and we really appreciate the support they render to us. This funding will go towards hosting the international conference. It is one of the endeavours which will improve the quality of our research and the quality that we set for ourselves in rising to international standards.”

Professor Lorraine Greyling, Dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law, mentioned that the 2022 international conference has attracted a record number of rich abstracts from which the faculty has to choose.

“This is not a departmental conference, but a faculty conference with people attending from interdisciplinary streams. We have a massive organising team and this conference showcases teamwork at its best. Through this cash injection boost from Absa, the students and staff will be able to engage in high-quality research. This will assist in promoting research capacity development by exposing researchers to the national and international research terrain. This will put the university on the national and international map as a research-focused institution,” she elaborated.

Motsoene said the main aim was to support students, develop and sustain relations with UNIZULU, as the relationship between the institutions traces back to the 1960s. According to Motsoene, Absa is responsible for helping to place researchers on the trajectory of developing innovative methods in the economy.

“We support this conference as it is fundamentally linked to our Shared Growth strategy which covers education and skills, as well as enterprise development,” he said.

– Gcina Nhleko

Caption

UNIZULU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Xoliswa Mtose accepts a cheque for R500 000 from Absa’s Managing Executive, Keketso Motsoene. These funds will go towards hosting the institution’s upcoming MBALI Conference.