Inside the Business Schools

African business schools developing the continent’s leadership

Jonathan Cook, Board Member, Association of African Business Schools (AABS)

A strong private sector is the key to driving economic growth and development on the African continent – and can also play a vital role in holding governments to account and promoting political stability. African business schools need to take the lead in ensuring that the continent’s managers have the necessary skills and knowledge to drive this much-needed economic and democratic expansion.

There is a dire need for more management expertise at all levels on the continent. Business schools can fill the critical gap that exists between the management theory found in textbooks and the real business world.

Business schools are essential to driving economic growth and promoting democracy in Africa and thus contribute to the international competitiveness of African businesses.

The globalised world is becoming increasingly competitive and Africa has fallen behind on many levels. This can only be addressed through cutting-edge, proficient management, and business schools are playing their part in this regard by developing current and future leaders for the continent.

A strong private sector can also contribute to creating a culture of respect and performance, thus leading to greater political stability and regard for democratic processes.

The Association of African Business Schools (AABS) was established to promote excellence in business and management education in Africa by supporting graduate business schools through capacity building, collaboration and quality improvement. One way in which it does this is through specialised programmes such as Teaching the Practice of Management (TPM).

Participants are exposed to cutting-edge practice-based teaching methods that make extensive use of classroom debate and real-life case studies. This approach to management education helps to develop leaders and managers who can effectively apply management theory to the workplace. Honing real business acumen and managerial skills is what will drive the growth and success of the private sector.

It is a highly valuable as a means of brushing up on practice-based teaching methods.

When participating in lectures instead of facilitating them oneself, you get a real feel for what works and what doesn’t work in this type of adult classroom situation.

In addition to gaining new skills, the event also provides African business academics with an unprecedented opportunity to forge links with their counterparts in other universities on the continent.

This kind of encouragement is particularly important as many African business schools suffer resource constraints and need help in developing the value of their educational offerings.

This is where the AABS and courses like TPM can make a major impact. The standard of business schools on the continent is very varied – ranging from true centres of excellence to the markedly below-average. Unfortunately, there are only a small handful of world-class business schools in Africa. The African business community is definitely under-served in terms of quality business schools and the AABS strives to address this need.

The often-lamented African skills crisis can only be tackled through increased training and education of a quality that is comparable to what is offered in the rest of the world as well as through the development of a strong private sector to help keep talent from seeking greener pastures in the developed world.

Political stability is another factor that can keep talent on the continent and the private sector plays a crucial role in promoting democracy.

Governments are more accountable where there are strong institutions in society – including the private sector and non-governmental organisations – and where leaders in business work with Government to protect the key economic and legal institutions of society. These courses are critical if Africa is to make headway in the race to speed up the transformation of the economies of sub- Saharan Africa.

email: info@aabschools.co.za