The schools’ Global Executive MBA program will be taught in the sub-Saharan state on a part-time basis from July this year, reflecting a growing trend in the business school community.
Demand for business degree programs in the African region has never been higher and LUMS is collaborating with the Lancaster University Ghana (LUG) to deliver the program, which is tailored to the busy executive.
While the rise in full-time African programs has been driven by prosperous economic outlooks and a growing culture of social entrepreneurship, executive MBA programs are also a more attractive option for today’s business leader.
As global demand for MBA programs and competition in the MBA jobs market increases, schools are finding ways to cater to those that would prefer not to leave their careers. Interest in part-time MBA study has risen to a high of 27.8 per cent, while interested in full-time programs has declined by about 1 per cent.
The Graduate Management Admission Council also reports that more GMAT tests are being taken in the African region. Throughout 2012-2013, more than 5,000 tests were completed, which is more than in the entire Eastern Europe area.
Professor Mark Shackleton, Associate Dean for Postgraduate Studies at LUMS, says the best programs cater to busy executives. “The best MBAs have been able to teach executives flexible yet practical thinking tools that allow them to achieve complex goals in increasingly complex and strategic business areas,” he says.
Ghana is also a popular destination for European and Asian schools. China Europe International Business School has a campus in Accra, the country’s capital city. CEIBS offers an EMBA program and a Women Entrepreneurship and Leadership for Africa program.
The IMF forecasts that Africa will experience 6 per cent growth this year, while Ghana’s medium-term outlook remains healthy, with projected GDP growth of 8 per cent in 2013 and 8.7 per cent in 2014, driven largely by new oil revenue.
Designed to fit around participants' working lives, the new LUMS program will allow students to further their managerial education without leaving their jobs – and the program design also gives them flexibility to take modules in other locations where the Lancaster MBA is delivered.
Scheduled to start in July 2014, the Global Executive MBA Combines the expertise of Lancaster University in delivering programs with local knowledge of how to transfer this learning to the context of Ghanaian business.
Professor John Grainger, Provost of LUG, says the school wants to cater to Ghanaians. “Lancaster University Ghana is committed to providing quality programs to ensure that Ghanaians as well as Africans have access to world-class tertiary education, without having to travel abroad,” he says.
The school has bases in Jordan, Singapore and Malaysia and the program in Africa will draw on that experience, says Professor Steve Bradley, Lancaster University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (International). “The faculty who will teach on the program bring a wealth of experience, having taught the program in Malaysia, Jordan, Singapore and Zambia,” he says.
Students will be taught general management theory with a focus on strategy, change and leadership. EMBAs will also gain a deeper understanding of the complexity of the organisational and business environment, although they will be taught by a contingent of experienced UK-based educators.
Professor Mark added that the new program will attract candidates from a wide range of backgrounds. “[It will] provide a rich and fertile context on which excellent faculty facilitators can build, by drawing out learning and discussion during class contact time,” he says.
“The Global Executive MBA will provide students with invaluable integrative skills which are increasingly essential in a fast-changing world, where barriers to management innovation can prevent organisations from competing effectively.”
Most schools have responded to the African demand. But how long before the rest catch up?
To find out more about the new Global Executive MBA at LUMS, visit: http://www.lums.lancs.ac.uk/masters/global-executive-mba/
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