Business & Industry in Africa Chair
A unique opportunity with the first class new Africa Chair in Africa: “Business and Industry in Africa”. The African continent is changing fast and offers many opportunities in a rapid geopolitical shift. The abundance and the role of raw materials and commodities have as a result the acceleration of industrialization and logistics, financing needs and human capital opportunities. The two main objectives of the industrialization of Africa are to accelerate the speed of growth and to create millions of jobs through the diversification of economies and the transformation of products in the global value chain.
Tanger Med for example is a port complex located in the city of Tangier, Morocco. Since its inauguration in 2007, it has become one of the busiest ports in the Mediterranean region, with an annual capacity of over 9 million containers. It has been instrumental in boosting Morocco's economy, attracting foreign investment, and creating job opportunities. The port has also played a crucial role in enhancing trade between Europe, Africa, and Asia, in particular in the automobile and aeronautic manufactures. The success of Tanger Med has inspired other African countries to invest in similar projects, such as the construction of the Lamu Port in Kenya and the Bagamoyo Port in Tanzania. Such an initiative is a testament to the potential of African countries to achieve economic growth through investment in infrastructure, logistics, and strategic partnerships.
- Academic Rigor - Through cutting-edge courses, seminars, and research, students will understand the key economic, financial and business challenges and opportunities driven by the rapid changes in Africa through a triangular approach (Africa, Asia, Europe)
- Think tank activities, high level meetings notably with various executives and finance institutional partners, conference series on ESSEC campuses
- High and rapid return of investment with internships offers and job opportunities
This Chair program will allow students to develop technical skills (in finance, marketing, business) and practical knowledge and capacities with concrete business cases and the involvement of high level practitioners. It will help the students to understand the challenges of very rapid changes in African economies and businesses in the climate change transition and the global value chain (and the opportunities they generate).
Learn more about the courses and seminars:
For the MIM students:
The Chair student must successfully complete:
- 2 mandatory seminars reserved to students admitted to the Chair: Commodity Markets in Africa and in the world and Industry and Transformation of raw materials in Afric
- 2 mandatory courses:
MGTE31311 Doing Business in Africa
DEVN31251 Geopolitics focus Africa
- 1 elective course (Cergy campus) to choose among:
FINM31213 Agri-food Commodity Markets
FINM31162 International Finance
MGTS31261 Global Strategy
MOPO31232 Supply Chain Management in Digital Age
A strongly recommended 6 months internship with a mission related to Africa. Sponsors will notably offer internship positions.
Students admitted to the Chair have to be eligible and will be enrolled in the Business and Transitions track in Rabat and will also have to complete:
DEVE31273 From linear to circular: get the core methodology of circular economy
DEVN31141 Negotiation workshop
CPRO31111 Introduction to the Arab Muslim culture and society (no credit)
LGAR31021 Moroccan Arabic (no credit)
- One core course among:
MKGM31129 Marketing Management
MGTP31101 People and Organizations
DEVD31118 Business Law
For the BBA students:
The Chair student must successfully complete:
- 2 mandatory seminars reserved to students admitted to the Chair:
Commodity Markets in Africa and in the world and Industry
Transformation of raw materials in Africa and industrialization
- Obligatory courses:
Doing Business in Africa
Geopolitics in Africa
Circular economy
Global BBA students admitted to the Chair have to be eligible for inter-campus mobility in Semester 8 in Rabat and will also be enrolled in the following courses in Rabat :
Strategic Management
Strategic Management Control
International Negotiation
Introduction to the Arab Muslim culture and society / Arabic
A strongly recommended 6 months internship with a mission related to Africa. Sponsors will notably offer internship positions.
Immediate job opportunities offered by sponsors for Chair’s alumni in different industries (marketing, finance, business development, HR) in Paris/Dubai and in numerous African countries. A partner such as AGL offers 2,500 annual jobs in their different locations.
Duration: 3 months courses (from January until March for MIM students and from February until April for BBA students) and a strongly recommended internship between July and December related to Africa.
Travel missions will take place in Africa in addition to the courses and high level events and conferences will take place in the different ESSEC Campuses.
Chair Director
Chair co-founder, investment banker and President Africa network Business Europe
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