Rethinking African Business Education: A Call for Transformation
Africa’s business schools stand at a pivotal crossroads, with a pressing need to break away from colonial educational structures. For too long, the continent has been viewed as a “field site” for testing Western educational models, which seldom resonate with the unique complexities of African realities. This challenge has been poignantly articulated by the Wits Business School (WBS) in South Africa, a prominent institution that has shaped many influential business leaders, including Fani Titi of Investec and Kenny Fihla of Absa.
The Call for Authentic Transformation
The voices leading this charge, Professors Maurice Radebe and Imhotep Alagidede, challenge African business schools to shift their focus from mere education to genuine transformation. Their message is clear: the reliance on borrowed case studies, alien theories, and externally driven accreditation must end. “True innovation requires moving from teaching about entrepreneurship to building firms,” they assert. This shift demands an embedding of technology and the development of original African theories instead of consuming foreign intellectual frameworks.
Breaking Away from Imported Orthodoxy
Radebe and Alagidede advocate for a fundamental change in how African business education is delivered. They stress that innovation in this realm must encompass a decisive break from imported orthodoxy across curricula, scientific inquiry, and governance practices. The authors propose that African business schools must transform into coalition-centered institutions where collaboration is foundational to their identity.
The Collaboration, Innovation, and Impact (CCI) Agenda
The M.O. proposed by the WBS professors introduces a framework known as the Collaboration, Innovation, and Impact (CCI Agenda). This framework pushes for stronger partnerships among academia, industry, and policy-makers, which will inform future-ready curriculums enriched with advancements in AI, fintech, and blockchain technologies. Importantly, it advocates for shifting the focus away from traditional ranking-driven performance metrics towards measurable societal impact.
The Risk of Detached Elites
Despite South Africa’s business schools consistently receiving high rankings alongside institutions like the UCT Graduate School of Business and the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science, Radebe and Alagidede express concern that without a clear agenda for collaboration and innovation, there is a risk of perpetuating managerial elites who are disconnected from the continent’s developmental challenges. This status quo could result in a reliance on foreign frameworks that do not translate to meaningful progress in local contexts.
A New Role for Business Schools
Business education has typically been seen as a means of knowledge transmission, preparing graduates to occupy managerial roles in government and private sectors. Radebe emphasizes the necessity for business schools to evolve into civic entrepreneurs. This shift entails that they must actively engage in orchestrating innovation ecosystems, nurturing local firms, influencing policies, and fostering pathways for inclusive economic mobility. Such a transformation is not superficial; rather, it represents a profound change in how business schools perceive their roles and measure success.
Moving Beyond Traditional Metrics
Critics argue that many business schools cling to outdated evaluative models that prioritize prestige over societal value. Conventional metrics such as international rankings and graduate salaries often overshadow more impactful outcomes, like graduates’ contributions to society. Jon Foster-Pedley, dean at Henley Business School Africa, highlights the urgency of “Africanising” curricula, ensuring that graduates can comprehend and engage with their societal contexts, rather than simply replicating Western paradigms.
The Dangers of Inward-Looking Replacement
However, Foster-Pedley warns that focusing solely on Africanization does not guarantee the dismantling of colonial legacies. “You can decolonise the syllabus and still run a colonial university,” he says, emphasizing that many institutions remain bound by outdated governance and funding models, originally designed for Western universities. Thus, the challenge extends beyond mere changes in reading lists; it requires a fundamental rethinking of how business schools operate.
Learning from the Future: A Global Perspective
African business schools are uniquely positioned to prototype new educational models that tackle local challenges while drawing on global insights. This approach could elevate African solutions into the global discourse. Embracing collaboration with other emerging economies—like those in Latin America and Asia—can spur new dialogues and cultivate a more inclusive and sustainable framework for education and economic development.
Responding to Dual Economies
In a provocative proposal, Phindile Mpithi of Regent Business School underlines the importance of a curriculum that responds to South Africa’s dual economy. To achieve inclusive economic growth, business schools must shift from traditional educational roles to that of developmental partners.
Addressing Educational Discrepancies
Reflecting on the practical implications of these educational reforms, the WBS study highlights the inconsistencies faced by students who often feel disoriented when utilizing Western frameworks to analyze consumer behavior in the complex, multifaceted African market. Furthermore, African entrepreneurs frequently encounter risk models that overlook their realities, which fail to align with Western standards of collateral and credit.
By addressing these disconnects and evolving educational frameworks to be more reflective of local contexts, African business schools can play a crucial role in shaping a more vibrant and resilient economy.
In this ongoing dialogue about the future of business education in Africa, the emphasis on collaboration, innovation, and locally grounded impact over colonially influenced practices may very well be the key to unleashing the continent’s true potential.