On June 19th, we proudly celebrated ALA’s 16th graduation, as 103 graduates joined our growing network of over 1,500 young leaders shaping Africa and the world. The keynote speaker, Ralph Mupita, President and CEO of MTN Group, delivered a message that felt both personal and urgent.
He didn’t come with a list of accolades or corporate lessons. Instead, he told stories. He spoke of his childhood in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Of dreaming big and being told those dreams were too big. Of detours and unexpected turns — like moving to South Africa and stumbling into a career in finance that eventually led him to the helm of one of Africa’s largest telecoms.
His message came down to three simple truths.
First: Think big. Don’t settle.
As a boy, Mupita once told his teacher he wanted to be an astronaut. Her response? “Africans don’t go to space.” That moment stuck with him. “Self-limiting beliefs are dangerous,” he told the graduates. “Don’t let anyone else decide how big your dreams should be.”
Second: Be open to life’s surprises.
He never set out to work in finance. He studied engineering. Then came a conversation, a coffee, an unexpected job offer — and 17 years later, he’d built a career he never saw coming. “Have a plan,” he said, “but hold it lightly. Let life surprise you.”
Third: Do something bigger than yourself.
Whatever the field — technology, business, education — Mupita said his guiding question has always been: “Does this work bring dignity, hope, and opportunity to Africans?” That, he said, is what anchors him. And he encouraged the graduating class to find their own version of that north star.
He closed with a simple, yet powerful line: “If a boy from Mutare can make it, you guys can make it any day.”
Mr. Mupita’s speech was a reminder that leadership is about believing, staying open, and choosing to build something that matters.
Did you miss ALA's graduation? Watch the full ceremony below!
