For Gustave Mungeni Kankisingi graduating with his PhD in Management Sciences (Business Administration) today (Friday, 10 May 2019), means more than anything since he had emigrated to South Africa from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 15 years ago. He graduated at the Fred Crookes Sports Centre, Steve Biko Campus on Friday.

For him, the field he chose was his dream study from a young age, because of inspiration from his family and his curiosity to understand the dynamics of the business world.

“My motivation was to also achieve my dream qualification, I was driven by a strong desire to be a Doctor and the first in my family to achieve this.

I was driven to honour my father. I think there is more I can offer the community with this qualification,” he stressed.

He is currently working as a contract lecturer at DUT under the department of Entrepreneurial Studies and Management from 2015, where he lectures different business subjects from Diploma to BTech level, and is also a reviewer of research proposals.

Dr Kankisingi, who is driven by his academic studies, dedicated his PhD research investigating the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation, organisational orientation, and innovation performance of manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in KwaZulu – Natal.

“It addressed the importance of innovation to grow SMEs. It looks into the structural aspects of SMEs to achieve innovation performance.

I chose this topic because innovation performance is critical in the competitiveness of any business. A number of manufacturing firms in the province experience competitive strains and innovation is a possible solution,” he said.

He also added that he believes this research is important especially for emerging economies such as South Africa and Africa in general. He said in 2016 he had presented his work at an international conference organised by the Society for Global Business and Economic Development in New Jersey, USA. He received an award for the most original doctoral proposal of the conference which was in competition with universities in North America and Europe. “I was the only African student from an African university to attend and win. From that conference, the HoD of the department of international business at Manchester University in the UK suggested that if I complete my PhD, he will welcome me as a visiting researcher. I think it is one opportunity for me as it is in progress,” he said excitedly. ​

Dr Kankisingi also aims to develop himself as a researcher. “I aim to stay in the academic environment as a lecturer and researcher. I also plan to also get more involved in consultancy work,” he said.

He also added that his best advice to students who want to be part of the academic world is to always aim big.

“To be a generation that will serve South Africa, Africa and global community. Sufficient knowledge is required through research especially for the 4th industrial revolution. Cultivate a culture of hard work and stop limiting yourself. Students should know learning is continuous, it is beyond getting marks or passing a module,” said Dr Kankisingi.

Pictured: Dr Gustave Mungeni Kankisingi.

Waheeda Peters