MBA funding

My name is Gift Nkosi. I grew up in a township called Orange Farm, in the South of Johannesburg where I completed my basic education. At the end of high school, I was granted a scholarship to enrol in a B.Ed., which I completed – cum laude – while I gained teaching experience as an intern at a school.

Soon after, I enrolled on a Postgraduate Diploma in Management and now I have been accepted for an MBA programme at Johannesburg Business School to commence this year and finish in December 2022. This academic programme is a step towards my career as a businessperson who understands and appreciates the need for business ventures in Africa that are going to be sustainable and look after the Africans’ needs.

My interest lies in the secondary sector of business, mainly manufacturing. South Africa and Africa have natural resources in abundance. Thus, I believe our economic success hinges and will continue to hinge on our ability to process raw materials into solving practical issues of African societies. South Africa’s manufacturing is at its highest underutilisation rate in four years due to, mainly, the lack of reliable power supply by Eskom and the demand for local products because of cheap imports. This is a major problem because manufacturing contributes 14% in the gross domestic product (GDP) of South Africa, making it the fourth largest industry in the country (South Africa's manufacturing industry, 2020).

After the completion of the MBA programme, I want to start a bread making business that wholesales to local tuck shops and fast-food restaurants. The reason for wanting to establish this start-up is because bread remains the most affordable necessity in all South African households, especially in disadvantaged communities such as the one I grew up in. The vision of this business is to uplift South African communities economically through bread processing thus keeping money circulating within the community. The manufacturing plant will be in the community, employing locals – particularly those of very little formal education – and serving the needs of the community by selling bread.

Your donations will make my dream of completing a Master’s in Business Administration a reality. Thank you for your time and consideration.

University of Johannesburg Banking Details

Pre-defined beneficiary listed, namely University of Johannesburg student number

My student number: 215000104 (payment reference)