Postgraduate students at Mount Kigali University (MKUR) have been challenged to pursue purposeful leadership and focus on solving real-world community problems rather than simply seeking titles and recognition. The call was made during a postgraduate public lecture held at the university on Saturday, themed “Building Shared Prosperity Through Trade, Enterprise and Investment.” The lecture was delivered by Minnesota State Representative, Hon. Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley, who explored the critical role of trade, entrepreneurship, investment and responsible leadership in advancing Africa’s economic development.
Speaking on the role of trade, Huldah noted that trade creates a vital connection between what people produce and what others need. However, she emphasized that businesses can only thrive in an enabling environment that supports sustainable growth. She encouraged aspiring entrepreneurs to begin by understanding the challenges faced by the people they seek to serve before developing solutions. “Spend time with the people who have the problem before coming up with a solution,” she said.
Huldah further emphasized that successful enterprises require a combination of creativity, imagination and discipline. She noted that how business owners treat their employees can significantly influence organizational performance, sustainability and long-term success. She also called for stronger institutional support for young entrepreneurs, particularly through mentorship, guidance and sustainable access to funding, rather than relying solely on encouragement. Turning to leadership, Huldah challenged students to reflect on their motivation for seeking leadership positions and to distinguish between pursuing responsibility and pursuing recognition. “Work must matter more than title,” she said, emphasizing that true leadership should ultimately be measured by the positive difference it makes in people’s lives.
She encouraged the students to build meaningful professional networks, follow up on opportunities and continuously position themselves as credible and valuable partners for future investment and collaboration. Huldah urged the audience to identify genuine problems within their communities, take time to understand them deeply, seek guidance from experienced mentors and, most importantly, have the courage to begin. In her concluding remarks, Huldah reminded the students that Africa’s investment future will be shaped by the actions of today’s generation. She encouraged them to ensure that their words, decisions and actions remain aligned with the kind of future they want to create, emphasizing that meaningful leadership is not defined by a title but by purpose, responsibility and impact.The lecture provided MKUR postgraduate students with ahttps://www.unwantedwitness.org/n opportunity to reflect on how their academic knowledge, professional ambitions and entrepreneurial ideas can contribute to solving societal challenges and advancing shared prosperity across Africa.
The second lecture formed part of the broader engagement around knowledge exchange, professional networking, mentorship and collaboration between the African diaspora and communities on the continent. For MKUR postgraduate students, the lecture provided an opportunity to reflect on how their academic knowledge, professional ambitions and entrepreneurial ideas can contribute to solving societal challenges and advancing shared prosperity across Africa. The message was clear: the value of education is not only in the title it earns, but in the problems it enables graduates to solve, the opportunities they create and the lives they improve.
