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09 March 2022 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied
Dr Edson Vengeai
Dr Edson Vengesai believes accreditation from and affiliation with the CFA Institute signals to potential students, employers, and the marketplace that the UFS BCom Investment Management and Banking curriculum is well-suited to prepare students for a brighter career in the investment field.

The University of the Free State (UFS) Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences was recently welcomed into the world’s largest association of investment professionals, the CFA Institute University Affiliation Programme. The CFA designation is globally recognised as the gold standard in the investment field.

Accreditation by this respected source of knowledge in investment and portfolio management reflects the rigour and value of the UFS BCom Investment Management and Banking (IMB) degree – housed in the more than a century-old Department of Economics and Finance. 

According to Dr Edson Vengesai, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics and Finance, the BCom IMB positions students well to obtain the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) charter, which has become the world's most respected and recognised investment credential. Including the UFS, only five universities in South Africa are affiliated to the CFA Institute. 

Most respected investment designation

Members who have attained the prestigious designation ‘Chartered Financial Analyst’, hold prominent roles in leading investment firms in financial centres worldwide. “Becoming a charter holder is a defining moment for many investment professionals, which exemplifies a robust understanding of advanced investment analysis and real-world portfolio management skills,” he says.  

Dr Vengesai states that with this affiliation from the CFA Institute, the BCom IMB degree has been acknowledged as incorporating at least 70% of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK) within the programme. Moreover, it also places emphasis on the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct. He believes preparing graduates who are ethically grounded and ready to execute their duties in an ethical and professional manner is a major necessity in the financial analysis and investment field.

Writing from London in the United Kingdom, Director of University Relations at the CFA Institute, Peter Watkins, states: “The UFS BCom in Investment Management and Banking is a rigorous programme that will be of great benefit to students entering the investment profession.”

Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences and Pro-Vice-Chancellor: Poverty, Inequality and Economic Development, Prof Philippe Burger, adds that the accreditation aligns with the faculty’s drive to create opportunities for its students to not only pursue excellence, but also to compare with the best in the industry, locally and on an international basis. He says the BCom in Investment Management and Banking is one of a range of cutting-edge, industry-relevant, and scientifically rigorous degrees offered by the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. “Quite a number of the faculty’s programmes are accredited by professional bodies, with accreditation by the CFA being the latest.”

Taking the financial sector to new heights

Through the CFA programme, the UFS will also be eligible to receive CFA Programme Student Scholarships each year, which will contribute to the much-needed skill set of well-grounded financial analysts who can take the financial sector to new heights. “Aligning our degree programme with the CFA curriculum will equip our students with the kind of expertise and real-world skills in investment analysis that will help set them apart from other institutions and peers,” adds Dr Vengesai, who also aims to produce a breed of innovators, critical thinkers, and producers of information.

“The affiliation signals to potential students, employers, and the marketplace that the UFS BCom Investment Management and Banking curriculum is closely tied to professional practices and is well-suited to prepare students for a brighter career in the investment field,” Dr Vengesai concludes. 

News Archive

The launch of a unique conservation project
2011-06-06

 

Our Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences launched a very special pilot project at Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate in Bloemfontein on Friday 03 June 2011, which aims to eventually aid in the conservation and study of one of Africa’s most graceful animals.

The project aims to provide the scientific basis needed for making future decisions in the best interests of the giraffe in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the Northern Cape and involves collaring and monitoring the behaviour and movement of these animals via GPS.

Based on the public interest in the giraffe and the increased impact of the growing giraffe population on the vegetation in the area, SANParks has been considering the translocation of a number of Kgalagadi giraffe. Due to limited information regarding their adaptation success and potential impact on their new environment, thorough planning and subsequent monitoring of the species is required.

Mr Francois Deacon from our university decided to undertake a PhD study to address the existing challenges. This will be the first study of its kind, undertaken on giraffe.

He says he decided on this project because of his love for animals and conservation. “There are nine sub-species of giraffe and seven of these are already endangered. I want to involve people and make them aware of the plight of the animals and the need for conservation,” he said.

The project kicked off on Friday morning, with a group of students and curious nature-lovers tracking a herd of giraffe at Woodland Hills. The challenge laid in identifying one of the animals which could easily be collared with a GPS device, tranquilising it, and applying the device, without harming the animal.

After a young bull was identified, it was up to Dr Floris Coetzee, a veterinarian, to get close enough to the animal to tranquilise it, and to the group of students to catch it and hold it down. All this was done perfectly and the animal was fitted with its new collars. The collars were designed and made by Mr Martin Haupt, who gained extensive experience in the design of similar collars for other research studies.

Mr Deacon will spend the following two weeks personally monitoring the animal constantly, to ensure that the collars do not cause any discomfort or injury and to determine whether it should be removed or adapted.

It has taken Mr Deacon over a year to plan the collaring process and the associated study. He says the main challenges in the project are financial, since it will cost approximately R500 000 to run over five years.

Thus far he has been supported by Mr Pieter Malan of Woodland Hills, Mr Cas Kempff of Cas Kempff Consulting Engineers and Prof. Frans Swanepoel of the UFS’ Directorate of Research Development, all of whom have been benefactors of the project.
Information gathered from the pilot project will provide the data to assess how to best fit the collar onto the giraffe to ensure that the animal is comfortable and that the collar will last in the wild.  Scientific data will be generated and processed for use by the Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate management.

Should the pilot project be successful, between four and eight giraffe in the Kgalagadi will be tracked using the satellite GPS collars. The GPS collars will enable the constant recording of the location of individual giraffe for up to 2 years. This will allow control and monitoring of the animals in real-time.

The main benefits of the project include, amongst others, improved decision-making, informing tourism development, education and community involvement, improved sustainability and improved cross-border collaboration between South Africa and Botswana.

Anyone who wishes to get involved with the project or get more information, should contact Me. Sonja Buhrmann at sbuhrmann@vodamail.co.za or 0827735768.
 

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