August 8, 2008

Doing Business in Africa

The UCT Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB) is launching a landmark new elective this month on the MBA programme that will give students an in-depth understanding of doing business on the African continent.

The Doing Business in Africa elective has been designed by Dr Mills Soko, Senior Lecturer at the UCT GSB, and will harness the knowledge of senior business and public sector leaders, investigate case studies of business success on the continent and provide insight into the broader historical, cultural and policy/regulatory elements that are key to entering its markets.

In another first, the elective will provide an opportunity for the students to complete a week-long internship with a number of South African multinational companies operating in African markets.

Dr Soko said this elective was an exciting development for the UCT GSB and that the response from students had been huge – a large percentage of this year’s MBA class has eagerly signed up.

“This is a pioneering course that addresses a real need for leaders who are knowledgeable about what it takes to make a success of business in the vast opportunity-filled markets on the continent. The UCT GSB has recognised this need and with this elective we aim to make a contribution to producing a generation of leaders who are ready and able to not only contribute to business success in African markets, but also to the socio-economic development of the continent,” he said.

The elective has a curriculum running over eight lectures, each dealing with a different key element of business on the continent – from political, social and cultural contextual issues to business case studies and the current competition from emerging global players such as India and China.

The UCT GSB has also harnessed the strength of its relationships with the public sector and South African firms operating on the continent for the benefit of students. Amongst the guest lecturers who will team up with Dr Soko to deliver the course are South Africa’s Chief Trade Negotiator and Deputy Director-General for International Trade at the Department of Trade and Industry Xavier Carim; Photios Tzelios, Director of Supply Chain Management: Africa at Shoprite Checkers; and Dianna Games, Executive Director of Africa@Work and President of the South Africa-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce.