AIU Confers Degrees on Class of 2026 at 41st Graduation Ceremony

Africa International University (AIU) celebrated a remarkable milestone yesterday as it conferred degrees upon the Graduating Class of 2026 during its 41st Graduation Ceremony.

Addressing the graduands, AIU Chancellor and AEA Secretary General Dr. Master Matlhaope reflected on a society being rapidly reshaped by technology. “The generation graduating today enters a world experiencing profound change. Technological innovation continues to reshape society at an unprecedented pace. Artificial Intelligence is transforming how knowledge is created, how decisions are made, how economies function, and how institutions operate,” he stated. Dr. Matlhaope noted that this transformation, coupled with scientific advancement and global connectivity, is opening new avenues for collaboration and development across the continent and beyond.

Anchoring his message in AIU’s founding vision, Dr. Matlhaope revisited the enduring convictions of Dr. Byang Kato, whose call to establish graduate-level theological institutions as a cure for “theological anaemia” continues to define the university’s mission of leading Africa toward “The Africa God Wants.”

In his final charge to the graduands, the Chancellor urged them to look beyond the pursuit of a career or a mere living, reminding them that they are “much too valuable” for such a limited focus. Drawing from 2 Timothy 4:5, he challenged them to fulfill the specific ministry God has entrusted to each of them, affirming that every vocation, whether in the courtroom, the marketplace, or the laboratory, becomes a ministry and an act of worship when devoted to God and carried out with integrity.

The Vice Chancellor, Dr. Nelson Makanda, celebrated the graduands for the hard work, to make the day a reality.  “Today our graduates will walk out of this pavilion focused on the places that God has called them. Many of these will be serving God in their local contexts before they can move to new territories. What is local to them today it may be to us our Judea, our Samaria and ends of the world,” he added.

Dr. Makanda reminded the graduands that it is God who is sending them out there, and that they should be ambassadors not just for themselves and their families but for God, and for AIU. He added that as they march out of AIU, they scatter as global influencers to face the seven mountains of influence. He added that their whole person has been prepared; that they go forth with knowledge and education in their head, skills in their hands, and character in their hearts.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026 that goes forth to lead, serve, and transform the world for the glory of God.