As an AIU student, I would to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt and profound thanks and appreciation to AIU for having given me a chance to study towards a P.H.D. degree program majoring in Business Administration. My foremost thanks goes to Mr Rene Cordon who helped tremendously during the admission process. My heartfelt thanks also goes to my academic tutor, Mr Tobi Rotimi Opoola for his resilience and guidance as i traverse through the academic journey of researching and assignments and providing me with current news in order to achieve my milestone. Other AIU academics worth mentioning include Dr Kanbiro Orkaido, Rosie Perez, Clara Folque and the live class presenters amongst others.
I am proud to say that AIU provided me with an ideal environment to study in line with its main goal of providing the foundation for adult learners like myself to meet their individual needs. I am equally indebted to AIU for the exposure accorded to me as I pursue my studies. I was given the opportunity to demonstrate my abilities through independent learning, reading, attending live classes and researching skills in the field of Business and Economics. I was able to have a comprehension of the subject matter of my study as well as acquiring essential skills to express my thoughts clearly, both verbally and in written form.
It is without doubt that the AIU study program is embedded in a distance learning system based on ANDRAGOGY and OMNIOLOGY, a program that suited my philosophy as an adult person, who is nearing retirement, working full time and also running a small business on part-time basis. I was able to jungle between my study, work and family as the program allows one to study at his own pace. As LAO-TZU asserts, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. Studying at AIU, an institution, miles away from my continent Africa, is a journey that I started with a clear objective and open mind.
With this premise in mind, I would like to salute and thank AIU profusely for putting in place such a program, which has empowered me and others with knowledge and skills that aims to transform my past into a growing module and with a self-propelled agenda to expand my business Daphs Investments (Pty) into a big consultancy firm and construction giant in the Kingdom of Eswatini. This will help my community with employment opportunities and skills and eliminate the current continuum of poverty and limitations within my area at Mpolonjeni, Mbabane. Life will never be the same, there will be total transformation spiritually, economically, socially, emotionally and otherwise.
Last but not least, once again, I say thank you profusely AIU for helping me to accomplish my dream of attaining my P.H.D in Business Administration. My prayer is to attend the in-person graduation in November 2025. Long live AIU!!!!!!!!
David Dumisani Sibandze
