Cool Kid on Campus: Prudence Makololo
Prudence tells Wits Vuvuzela that she aspires to be the next governor of the South African reserve bank. Photo: Nolwazi Mjwara
Prudence Makololo is head of the Wits Association for Black Security and Investment Professionals (ABSIP). When she is not fulfilling those duties, or focusing on finance and women empowerment, this second-year BComm Finance and Economics student jet-sets across the continent to attend youth development conferences.
Malokolo has recently returned from Nigeria after winning a competition to attend the fourth annual Pan African Youth Leadership Forum (PAYLF) in Abuja.
What was the conference about?
The conference was a pan-African conference where each African country was represented by five students. We each had to submit five essays in order for us to be invited to attend the conference. The conference gave us the opportunity to meet CEOs from global companies and ambassadors in order to engage about topics that affect our continent.
What would you ultimately like to be when you are more grown up?
The first young, female black governor of the Reserve Bank in South Africa. The governors are always pretty old so I would like to add a bit of youth and female energy to the Reserve Bank.
What was the highlight of your trip?
This was my first time going to Nigeria and it was amazing to be there as it is such a beautiful country. The nightlife is also so much fun and the people there are incredibly hospitable. I felt like royalty because they were so hospitable.
What was a low from your trip?
The low was definitely the humidity and the lack of punctuality from the community as a whole. I am a very punctual person and this frustrated me a lot. But you know, at least the humidity helped with my skin.
What do you think is the biggest thing holding the youth back?
Education and unemployment. I also think that often the youth expects things to be placed into their laps as opposed to going out to get the opportunities. Like when we were out at the conference, there were many CEOs who were willing to give the youth funding for their ideas. I think that often the youth are lazy to write proposals and everything.
How do you manage being head of ABSIP society and not seeing academic flames?
I meet my commitments for Golden Key and the society in the afternoons and work on school work in the mornings and evenings. My weekends are also filled up by my academic work.
