(I found this via Springwise , one of my favorite sites.)
MBAs Without Borders (MWB) is an organization that is sends MBA professionals all over the world to developing nations. Generally, I’m not big on “development initiatives” since they rarely have a long-term perspective for Africa. However, I see this one differently. Highly educated individuals donate their time and expertise to train entrepreneurs and business owners in the developing world.
That type of help can be hugely rewarding for the long-term in Africa. It promotes sound business principals that help these entrepreneurs succeed well after the MBA has left. In fact, if they’re good enough, I can see how the lessons learned will start to spread to other business owners and entrepreneurs in the community as well.
They’re operating in these African countries so far:
- Nigeria
- Ghana
- Sierra Leone
- Kenya
- Tanzania
- Rwanda
- South Africa
- Zimbabwe
A few examples of what they’ve done:
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania: Working with a local NGO, funded by the Africa Development Fund, assisting grassroots ventures in process development, developing organization’s website and performing management training of microfinance loan tracking software.
Freetown, Sierra Leone & Lagos, Nigeria: Working with Danish company, Vestergaard Fransden (VF) to market and develop life-saving products for malaria and water-borne disease; coordinating contracts and logistics with the Ministry of Health (VF).
May 3, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Hash:
Excellent post. I wasn’t aware that MBA’s without Borders does so much. Those sound like some great places to prove the model too. Just so happens that I have been studying what I think is a similar organization called Technoserve. As far as development initiatives go I am for the training based models, but I also see value in some of the micro-finance and micro-investment models as well.
Anyhow, great post!
May 3, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Waoh pretty interesting ! Thanks for always providing useful links especially this one which is not so high tech stuff (no pun intended)
May 6, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Very great post ! I love your blog !