Global Business School Network

Africa accounts for 17% of the world’s population yet emits less than 5% of the world’s carbon emissions. Africa boasts a massive talent population, but also demonstrates the highest rate of education exclusion. It is a continent rich in resources, talent potential, and innovation, but lacks the necessary tools to expand its portfolio in sustainable ways. Session four investigates the various components of sustainable development, from female participation in the workforce to healthcare resources to relevant education, and what the continent is doing to address some of these broader goals. Africa is leading the way in the business of UN Sustainable Development Goal relevancy, but what is holding its people back from success? 

Panelists:

Mamokgethi Phakeng - Vice-Chancellor, University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Carl Manlan - Chief Operating Officer, Ecobank Foundation, Togo.

Tavneet Suri - Editor in Chief for VoxDev; Associate Professor, MIT, USA.

Africa’s most powerful resource is its people. In a world of shrinking working-age populations, favorable demographics point to substantial opportunity within Africa. But there is no guarantee that the demographics will translate into greater prosperity. Join us in this session, as we tackle some of the more pressing questions related to Africa and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Does Africa have the capacity to educate the young while delivering on the growing needs for upskilling and reskilling the workforce? How is technology changing the mix of knowledge and skills that African organizations need? What are the specific sector needs, such as health care, government, and finance? How are new technologies, and increasing experiences in using them, creating new opportunities that make education both more effective and more accessible? 

Panelists:

Rebecca Harrison: CEO and Co-Founder - African Management Institute, Kenya.

Enase Okonedo: Deputy Vice-Chancellor - Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria.

Nick van Dam: Chief of the IE University Center for Corporate Learning Innovation, IE University, Spain.

Innovation and entrepreneurship not only increase productivity in existing industries and create jobs, they can transform economies and societies. This session focuses on developing talent for transformative leadership, the kind that can build a more inclusive and sustainable Africa. It explores the role of business and business schools as catalysts and enablers of innovation and entrepreneurship. It considers opportunities to strengthen collaboration across disciplines, borders, and sectors to enable Africa to leap ahead in efforts to achieve Agenda 2063.

Panelists:

Darius F. Teter - Executive Director, Stanford Seed, Stanford Graduate School of Business, USA.

Anna Ekeledo - Executive Director, AfriLabs, Nigeria.

Dr. Michael Moscherosch - Director, Johnson and Johnson Africa Innovation Challenge, Johnson and Johnson, USA.

The Talent For Africa Forum presented by GBSN & Ecobank Academy

In this kickoff session, panelists touch on the broad range of pressing talent challenges that will be had throughout the series and provide a bird’s eye view of how these relate to Agenda 2063, and the Africa that Africans want. Join us as we address issues such as Pan-African integration in a de-globalizing world, harnessing a youthful African workforce in an aging global society, AI and the impact of automation everywhere, developing relevant educational opportunities for African business, and so much more. Africa in the Context of the world invites the rest of the global community to hear from African leaders, themselves, and how we can work cohesively to truly create the future of the continent.

Moderator: Rob Vember

Panelists:

• Patrick Awuah - Founder and President of Ashesi University, Ghana.
• Amadou Diallo - CEO, Middle East & Africa DHL Global Forwarding, UAE.
• Caren Wakoli - Founder & Executive Director, Emerging Leaders Foundation Africa, Kenya.

Jean-François Manzoni is the President of the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), where he also serves as the Nestlé Professor. In conversation with Soumitra Dutta and Dan LeClair of GBSN, he discusses trust in governments, innovation in executive education, and leading in a crisis. This interview was conducted 10 weeks after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. This is an edited transcript of their exchange.

Sangeet Chowfla is the President & CEO of the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). In conversation with Soumitra Dutta and Dan LeClair of GBSN, he discusses the importance of connectedness and trust, as well as the changing value equation in higher education. This interview was conducted 9 weeks after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.

Peter Tufano is Peter Moores Dean and Professor of Finance at Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. In conversation with Soumitra Dutta and Dan LeClair of GBSN, he discusses how lessons from World War II can aid government, business, and the education sector to win the war against COVID-19, and win the peace in a post-COVID world. The interview took place 10 weeks after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.