Almost 700 students from 21 African countries graduated from Africa University in a ceremony that featured the first cohort of the online Global Campus and a record number of students with the highest academic honor.
The United Methodist university’s 32nd commencement ceremony on June 6 celebrated 698 graduating students with over 10% earning first-class honors, five doctoral and 125 master’s graduates. Female students made up the largest group at 54.6%.
“We celebrate in this graduation those who have completed their studies through the fully online learning platform. This milestone reflects our commitment to expanding access to transformative education and also responding to the evolving needs of our students and working professionals everywhere,” said the Rev. Peter Mageto, a professor and the university’s vice chancellor.
“So, do not say you cannot stop working to go to school. We are there for you,” he said.
Africa University, which serves the entire continent, is a denomination-wide ministry that receives support through United Methodist apportionments, shares of church giving. That means United Methodists’ offering helped make this graduation possible.
As vice chancellor, Mageto is the equivalent of a university president in the U.S. He said the institution continues to lead from the front in renewable energy with the installation and capacity of its solar plants.
“This is not just infrastructure. It is a testament of Africa University’s consistent stewardship for generations to come,” he told the graduating class and guests.
The Zimbabwe government’s Heritage-Based Education 5.0 framework, which champions innovation, industrialization and commercialization, found a faithful home at Africa University.
“Through our Research and Innovation Directorate and its Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Commercialization Center, we have witnessed the development of seven startups,” Mageto said.
In partnership with the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture and the MasterCard Foundation, four student-led agricultural innovations were advancing from prototypes to practical impact.
The class of 2026 brings the total number of the school’s alumni to over 13,000, including five United Methodist episcopal leaders now serving in Africa — Bishops Mande Muyombo (North Katanga), Moisés Bernardo Jungo (East Angola), João Filimone Sambo (Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini and Madagascar), Emmanuel Sinzohagera (Burundi-Rwanda) and Nelson Kalombo Ngoy (Tanganyika).
Professor Kuzvinetsa Dzvimbo, chief executive of the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education, assured graduates that their degrees were globally recognized.
“I want to assure you that your degree in terms of its quality, in terms of its depth, breadth and recency compares favorably with degrees that are taught and learned in this country (and) it compares favorably with degrees that are taught on the African continent and outside the continent,” he said.
The council, called ZIMCHE for short, is the Zimbabwe regulatory body that approves, registers, accredits and monitors academic programs at tertiary institutions.
“Your degree is very unique because its knowledge, philosophy, value system is a heritage of our nation. And ipso facto, even a heritage of the African continent. So those of you from Kenya, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, from all over the African continent, your degree program is based on what we on the African continent require,” Dzvimbo said.
He urged the graduands not to seek employment but to create it.
“Be ambassadors of Africa University but also be pathfinders. Go where no other people have gone, making sure that you contribute and the African continent stands proudly among sister continents because you are the pathfinder.”
Genius Mukichi, the 2026 valedictorian, encouraged his colleagues to go out and build communities.
“Let us write code that solves real problems, create systems that include rather than exclude, and live lives that leave people better than we found them. As we leave this beautiful campus in Mutare, let us remember that success is not defined only by how high you go alone, but also how many people you lift along the way.”
Central Congo Area Bishop Daniel O. Lunge, who chairs the Africa University (Zimbabwe) board, congratulated the graduates and reminded them to trust in the Lord.
“From today, you enter a new stage of your life,” he said. “You are supposed to welcome it with faith. Remember to have faith in God with all your heart, not to trust in your own wisdom. In all your ways, submit to him.”
West Angola Area Bishop Gaspar João Domingos, Africa University chancellor, encouraged the class of 2026 to embrace new responsibilities and transform their communities. As chancellor, Domingos is the equivalent of a university board president in the U.S.
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“We live in a time of rapid technological change, economic challenges and profound social transformation,” Domingos said. “The world needs not only competent professionals but also ethical leaders, responsible citizens and individuals willing to serve with humility and vision.
“As a university, we reaffirm our mission to educate not only specialists but also people of integrity; not only qualified professionals but also agents of social transformation; not only efficient workers but also leaders committed to human dignity and sustainable development.”
Africa University is the first and only fully accredited institution of higher learning established on the African continent by action of The United Methodist Church’s General Conference. It was founded in response to the call by African bishops for a university that would serve the whole of Africa.
The institution’s alumni are found serving in church leadership, national and civic organizations across the African continent true to its mantra: “Investing in Africa’s future.”
Chikwanah is a UM News correspondent based in Harare, Zimbabwe.
News media contact: Julie Dwyer at (615) 742-5470 or [email protected]. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digests.
