Chokani who was the guest speaker at the MUBAS Male Students Conference gave the advice in his keynote address which was titled: “Empowering future leaders: Nurturing ambitions, resilience and growth.”  The University organized the event for its male students. Chokani said career development is a process that requires good character building, personal sacrifices and a goal getting attitude, adding that frustrations along the way should be anticipated.

Chokani advised the students to focus on their personal career goals, saying: ‘’Each one has their path in life; so, it is important to focus on your path and not compare yourself too much to others as this may lead to frustrations’’.  The Bridgepath Capital Chief Executive further told the students to be flexible to the dictates of the industry, stressing that graduates are not guaranteed a career in their field of study but must always use the acquired academic qualifications as a springboard to other opportunities. He advised: 

‘’Sometimes you may be on one path and them you find yourself on a different path but the best thing is to work hard in whatever you are doing because opportunities are sometimes hard to come by so be ready to grab any chance that comes your way’.’

Vice Chancellor for MUBAS, Associate Professor Nancy Chitera said the conference was important, noting that male students also require mentoring just as their female counterparts. The Vice Chancellor said that such mentoring sessions help students to learn real life lessons from people who have walked the same path on their way to successful careers. Chitera added that the sessions will help nurture the students to be dependable citizens who can contribute to the socio-economic development of the country. She also encouraged the students to open up and share whatever challenges they encounter in life.

Bornwell Jumbe, a fourth-year business administration student who is majoring in marketing, thanked MUBAS management for organizing the conference which he described as ‘’very important and timely’’. Jumbe said the conference has provided an opportunity to the students to prepare for the challenges they may face in their careers and how to overcome those obstacles as he pointed out:

“Young people are facing a lot of challenges but it is important for the youth to believe in themselves and unleash their potential because all these presenters have faced similar challenges before but they were able to overcome those hurdles so this conference was really inspiring.”.

Among other topics during the conference, the students were mentored on time management, mindset change, budgeting and finance, managing relationships, how to prepare for job interviews and mental, sexual and reproductive health.

The conference drew experts from academia, industry, and health and this was a sequel to the female conference which MUBAS also organised for female students in June, 2023.