ZIBFS Overall Best Graduating Student (Class 2019)
“My Name is Sampa Mutale, I hold a Diploma in Banking & Finance from the Zambia Institute of Banking & Financial Services (ZIBFS) and graduated on Saturday, 22nd February, 2020, under the theme, “Human Capital Empowerment through Financial Education”. Indeed, in no better time than this, do we need to be re-aligned.
I first heard of Banking & Finance at the start of the second half of 2016, from a lecture at Lusaka Business & Technical College where I had gone to enquire about business programs the school was offering. I remember sitting in his office with my elder brother, the lecture spoke so well about Banking & Finance (ZIBFS) such that he convinced me to enrol for the same. Until about two years later, I finally succumbed, though not at his school, but somewhere near my home; Zambia Institute of Management (ZAMIM). It is from here that everything started from, the lectures and students are amazing people.
One thing that greatly assisted me in my early days of study was that I gathered full information about the courses in the Banking & Finance program before I started. Hence, I only had minor struggles. The lesson in this undertaking is that “preparation is never time wasted”. My plan was to complete the program in the shortest time possible. Therefore, I set myself to be sitting for 4 courses each semester to leave allowance for failure so that if it struck me, and in the worst-case scenario as a minimum, I should clear 3 and carry on with 1 course so that if the trend persisted in the following two years, I would have completed. The opposite, being the best.
The first semester was nearing the end, at home I spent every minute strategically for the reason that I wanted to grasp the fundamentals of Banking & Finance beyond the exams only. The lesson here was that “education is key, yet a transformative education is a brilliant light”, the illumination we need to see the Zambia and Africa of our dreams. I hit the bull’s eye, I cleared all four, the best-case scenario happened. This was the beginning of a new trend that I rode on until my last diploma exams.
In the April 2019 examinations, I was named as the “best performing student for Banking Law & Practice”. This was the highlight of my second semester of study. Never at any point did I think I would score the highest for this course, yet it happened, evidenced by the hard preparations we laid forth. As it is said, “the more time you spend in preparing the less you bleed in battle”. True this is, and to this truth, I can attest. Four more courses to go, I was feeling like a heavyweight, I proved to myself that, “indeed whatever man puts his mind to that truly he can achieve.”
My last semester exams were so different from the first one, in here I was not only eying for best case scenario, my focus was to offload on paper the best of my self without fear.
In my entire life, Saturday (22nd February 2020) was the greatest day of them all! I never set to win, my aim was to learn, neither does it change now. Yet God has a way of rewarding His people, for this I am grateful.
On this day, I received 3 awards, in addition to my Diploma in Banking and Finance. I received the
- “Overall Best Graduating Student Award at Diploma level in Banking & Finance (Class 2019)”; the award was sponsored by the Bank of Zambia.
- I also received a best student “Internship Award Sponsored” by Access Bank Zambia, and
- was further honoured to receive the inaugural best graduating student “President’s Award”sponsored by the President of the Zambia Institute of Banking & Financial Services (ZIBFS).
I am greatly humbled by this great recognition. I also wish to congratulate my fellow graduates who for making it to the graduation list at the just ended ZIBFS 2020 Graduation Ceremony. I wish to encourage all ZIBFS students to continue working hard in their studies because the benefits of hard work are there. I further invite school leavers to register on the ZIBFS Certificate and Diploma in Banking & Finance, and later on, receive up to 2 years’ exemptions on university banking & financial services degrees. After two years of my studies, I have a chance at a job based on my Diploma in Banking & Finance, and I will endeavour to complete my degree in two years after being awarded exemptions at university. Indeed, the ZIBFS Diploma in Banking & Finance is the fastest route not only to the industry, but to the degree programme as well!
To this end I would like to express my special thanks first of all to God, my Dad and Mum, Mr Michael Sakala, Mr Charles Pasomba, Mrs Zikani Kabungo, Dr Cryford Mumba, Mr Sebastian Sakala and to all my family and friends and lastly to the ZIBFS CEO Mrs Victoria Chanda Mumba and the ZIBFS President Mr Moses Shuko.
Mutale Sampa (ZA 10645)
Overall Best Graduating Student (Class 2019)- ZIBFS Diploma in Banking & Finance
Lusaka
