MBA indaba the place to be seen
MORE than 800 business school alumni and leaders from 30 countries will converge in Johannesburg next week as South Africa hosts its inaugural Africa MBA Indaba.
Research shows that just over 3 000 people enrolled for a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in South Africa yearly for the past four years with 3 500 recorded in 2014 and 2015, the SA Business Schools Association noted.
The association has 18 business schools across the country affiliated to it, manager Anne Wilson said.
However, it is hoped that the two-day event at Sandton Convention Centre, starting on August 1, will help to further boost the already growing number of graduates for the highly sought-after business qualification.
The indaba will also empower established MBA entrepreneurs through networking while those with ambitions to enrol for an MBA will be exposed to bursary opportunities from dozens of local and international business schools.
These include University of Oxford, University of Cape Town, Henley Business School, Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School and Yale School of Management.
Event director and expert investor Eric Wright said the indaba was a positive step towards amplifying the spirit of entrepreneurship and economic growth.
“South Africa is one of the biggest role players in international business and finance. Over the years we have seen a big increase of reputable business schools being established. In the 1970s there were five good schools and now we have about 20 which produce good quality graduates,” Wright said.
“This is great because a lot of CEOs that are running big international corporates have MBAs while in South Africa most CEO positions are still dominated by people with chartered accounting qualifications.
“That is not enough to give them the broader perspective of global financial markets and trends.”
MBA is probably the world’s best known and most widely recognised postgraduate degree. It’s designed to give one the ability to develop their career to its fullest potential, at an accelerated pace.
Wright stressed that an MBA was a crucial tool for any entrepreneur.
“MBA is very important. It tackles everyday challenges that a business manager or an entrepreneur could face, such as problem solving, critical thinking, leadership ability and strategic insight. It allows one the mobility to work internationally,” he said.
The event will feature 70 speakers representing various industries such as banking, mining, insurance, infrastructure and retail where a number of topics will be discussed and workshops will be held.
For more information and registration go to www.africambaindaba.com/registration