2024 MBALI Conference Shines Light on Africa’s Resilience
The International Management, Business, Administration and Legal Initiatives (MBALI) Conference has once again solidified its position as one of the flagship events of the University of Zululand (UNIZULU).
The 2024 edition, which commenced today (Monday, 5 August 2024) at the Bon Hotel Waterfront in Richards Bay, amassed over 100 participants who attended physically and online to deliberate on the theme African Resilience Reshaping the Global Stage: Growth, Synergy and Prospects.
This theme, as Prof Lorraine Greyling, the dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law, relayed, stems from the story of the growth process of the protea. The fynbos upon which the flower blooms must burn each year to allow for the seed pot of the flower to open, resulting in the revival of the fynbos.
“That is what Africa is. Africa: a continent that was burnt. Africa: a continent that was discriminated against. Africa: a continent that went through a lot of hardship and is still going through that hardship. Therefore, resilience is the theme for this conference because year after year, day by day, Africa is growing, developing like [a protea] seed. Out of the seed the best and most original flower blooms. This is our emblem, the seed of Africa.”
Officially opening the conference, Professor Xoliswa Mtose, UNIZULU Vice-Chancellor and Principal, expressed delight in the relevance and alignment of the theme to UNIZULU’s strategic direction.
“The now international academic forum is well on its way to towards establishing itself as a major contributor to knowledge production and scholarship. That being the case, however, begs issues associated with the MBALI brand’s geographical location in Africa. Perhaps, more fundamentally, its epistemic location within the global academic marketplace.
“With regards to geographical location, I cannot help but recognise the optimism about Africa, which is encapsulated in the theme of this year’s conference. In particular, the notion of African resilience reshaping the global stage. This is exciting. Indeed, some scholars, Atibe (2022), have boldly postulated that there has been an emerging reputation of African resilience that throngs off the continent’s image as back water of the global knowledge enterprise. We must support this apparent trend of Africa bouncing back to reinvent and reposition itself on the global stage. To sustain this trajectory, Africa’s resilience must be directed against the ever-present snares of the colonial metrics of power.”
The increased success of the conference over the years can be attributed to the perpetual, invaluable support of Absa Group, which has become an associate of the MBALI brand. Once again, the bank donated a generous amount which covered some of the logistics of the conference.
Speaking on behalf of the bank, Faisal Mkhize, Chief Executive of Relationship banking, said: “As a bank, we are very strong around partnership. We believe that in order for us to sustain our future, it is important that we are very clear with regards to supporting and forging partnerships with a number of stakeholders.”
The conference will conclude on Thursday, 8 August.
About the MBALI Conference
The annual conference is the brainchild of the Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law (FCAL) within the University of Zululand (UNIZULU). The conference is research-focused and aims to inspire academics and delegates from business and government to use research to achieve developmental goals. Equally central to the event is providing novice researchers and postgraduate students with an opportunity to develop and sharpen their skills, through interacting with experienced researchers.
– Naledi Hlefane