EFL and the Lund University School of Economics and Management’s new Executive MBA is looking to hone in on a new way of thinking about business models for the future. Prioritizing the African continent on the international front is a way to achieve that goal. “Right on the mark,” says Klas Eklund, Senior Economist at SEB and Adjunct Professor at the Lund University School of Economics and Management.
Under the motto “new times require a new Executive MBA”, EFL, in partnership with the Lund University School of Economics and Management, has worked hard on development leading up to the start of its Executive MBA in September. They have signaled loud and clear that they want to take the lead in training the executives of the future.
In the run-up to the fall program, all eyes are turning to the African continent and the creative opportunities offered there in the form of new markets, needs, and business logic.
“Africa is not only interesting because it has potential for new business opportunities in this age of globalization. It is also interesting because it helps us put the spotlight on many other important themes in our new program,” says Stein Kleppestö, Academic Director of the program, in reference to the opportunities for creative thinking when developing new business models in an environment with high potential for growth.
“Under the umbrella of Lund University, we have well-established contacts on location and access to a wide variety of Africa experts, which makes it only natural for us to take this step,” Stein Kleppestö continues.
Klas Eklund, Senior Economist at SEB and Adjunct Professor at the Lund University School of Economics and Management, believes Africa will be essential in the future, saying, ”Over half of the Earth’s population growth over the next 20–30 years will be in Africa, and demographers think that the African continent will then have the world’s largest working population. In light of that background, it is non-strategic for companies in a globalized world not to have their eyes on Africa from now on.”
As a first mover with its Africa profile for the international components of its Executive MBA, Klas Eklund thinks that EFL has the right idea in terms of strategy. “We all know how well things have gone for the ‘Asian tigers’. The next success story is going to be the ‘African lions’. But to achieve success there, you’ve got to get on board now. Because in five, ten or 15 years, others will have already been there, invested, and picked the low hanging fruits,” says Klas Eklund.