Africa Business Sector To Get Boost by Returning MBA Graduates As Entrepreneurs

Dec. 20, 2012 - PRLog -- African MBA students whom have migrated to western countries to study further are likely to return to Africa after a burgeoning scene for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) has been drawing global attention.

A new survey conducted by Jacana Partners, a pan-African Private Equity firm has indicated some very interesting facts regarding the future endeavours of the MBA students. 70percent of the students are likely to work in Africa after graduation of which half planned to become entrepreneurs and run their own business. The growing consumer story in Africa has presented an opportunity for many of these students and 89percent respondents of the survey showed an interest in the consumer goods industry. Not surprisingly, a third see a future in consumer goods and financial services sector as the most lucrative for starting a business.

"These survey findings provide a welcome indication that the majority of talented young Africans from among the MBA Diaspora will be returning to Africa post-graduation - and more importantly, they will be starting their own businesses. Small businesses are the key engines of economic growth, job creation and poverty alleviation in Africa and management talent is a critical component for SME success. By combining strong management teams with increasing access to value-add private equity capital, we can harness the potential of the returning MBA Diaspora to build successful businesses, create jobs and support long-term economic growth," said, Simon Merchant, Chief Executive Officer at Jacana,

Sara Leedom, Co-Chair of the Africa Oxford Business Network at a Business School in Oxford said: "When Jacana approached us to research the appetite for working in Africa post-graduation among our Africa Business Network students, we were delighted to be able to lend a voice. I am not at all surprised by the results - the majority of our members view Africa as offering a compelling career opportunity for business graduates, particularly at a time when the environment for growing businesses is slow in the West.

The Continent provides a wealth of opportunity and we are increasingly seeing interest from a broad range of non-African nationalities in joining our Africa Business Network, attracted to that potential."

The survey conducted by Jacana across top ten American and European MBA schools including London Business School has shown a  large percentage of the entrepreneurs were female. The survey has indicated a major shift in how Africa has become appealing not only for women to be more involved in developing the economy but also non-African nationalities looking to work here.

For more information, please visit: http://www.london.edu/programmes/mba.html