A group of French business school MBAs are consulting start-up companies in Rwanda – a country that has an emerging entrepreneurial class.
Charles Haines spent six years working in the City of London – so when he touched down in Rwanda in early July, it was quite the culture shock.“Because of the historical events of 20 years ago… There are certain cultural challenges between businesses and the government,” said Charles, a Global MBA student at ESSEC Business School. “That makes it a little trickier.”
He is in the midst of an international immersion project, in collaboration with the African Entrepreneur Collective, a business accelerator for young, growth-oriented entrepreneurs across the continent.
“A lot of people who are looking to start a business have had a very unfortunate upbringing,” Charles said. “They need lots of training around the simpler aspects of doing business – the educational support hasn’t been there.”
For the past month and a half, the MBA student has been helping entrepreneurs flourish in the East African state. The country has been beset by ethnic tension, and nearly two-thirds of the population live below the poverty line – making business progress difficult.
But it is striving to rebuild its economy, with coffee and tea production being among its main sources of foreign exchange. Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, has been trying to build infrastructure – essential for businesses to grow.
A thriving entrepreneurial class is beginning to emerge. “There’s so much hunger over here and so much ambition,” said Charles, who has been working on his MBA project since June. “African entrepreneurship is growing rapidly. We’re seeing growth in various sectors from IT to renewable energies,” he added.
His involvement with Rwanda grew out of an initiative of ESSEC designed to immerse MBA students in international locations. The French business school has completed similar projects all over the world, including in South Africa and the Philippines.
The African Entrepreneur Collective, the non-profit Charles works with, was set-up by an MBA graduate of Yale School of Management. The organization works with about 100 clients in Rwanda each year.
Charles has been consulting three Rwandan start-ups, including URTMCC, a milk collection centre. One of his first decisions was to spin off the company from its co-operative group. “It was the first business spinoff I ever experienced,” Charles said.
Along with classmates Claudia Pumarejo and Dhriti Chandrashekar, the MBA student has also consulted for clean energy company Habona Bio-gas, and Simba Constructors, a general contractor.
There is great collaboration between businesses in Rwanda, Charles said. “There’s a real sense of team spirit. Lots of future business leaders all know each other.” There are also many opportunities for impact investing and venture philanthropy, added Charles, who is half French.
He enrolled at ESSEC because of its solid reputation for finance education, and he wanted to experience business outside of London, where he spent about six years with Towers Watson, the professional services firm. “I will hopefully be granted an internship with a French bank starting in September,” Charles said.
As well as his immersion in East Africa, Charles has spent three months on an exchange program at the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago. He plans to spend six months interning in New York. “That’s where I see myself in the short-term,” he added.
His consulting project in Rwanda will provide a significant boost. But his biggest takeaway has been realizing the immense potential the country has. “I didn’t think it was as high as it is,” Charles added.
Student Reviews
The best intercultural university
There are more than 50 nationality in the grade, so there are opportunities to interact with people from all around the world. In terms of academics, the BBA course offers diverse courses for the 1st
Creativity, adaptability and entrepreneurship
The Master in Management program at the ESSEC Business School allows the students to choose their courses accordingly to their preferences and their professional targets. We can also go through international exchange and take part in internships with companies that are also partners with the school. The school is also next to the city of Paris.
Top business school in France
Doing PhD in essec took some time, to be precise about five years. But the experience was very good and cost effective too. There are opportunities for the student for teaching assistantship and that helps both financially and in career. In the final year I could manage to teach marketing to M1 students and this helped shape my career
Great college
The program is well suited for early professionals with an engineering degree preferably or a degree in economics. I would suggest taking the ceasure irrespective of the experience level as it helps you take your time to adjust to the job market.
Good school in France
I am currently enrolled in M2 in Essec business school. I am specialising in marketing management. The Grande Ecole programme is valued in France and my school ranks very high up. There are a lot of opportunities for internships and CDD.
The program curriculum
BBA program. The program is really practical and useful, provide us many international opportunities. Like internship and humanitarian experience, and the flexibility is also really cool, we can choose different campus and tracks as we want.
International Course
This school is very international and business oriented. Highly recognized by the companies The campus has been renovated and is very functional and modern from now on. Excellent atmosphere. Reputation of essec is a plus
Friends, Career opportunities.
The program I did gave me the opportunity to start in Singapore. I got the chance to know all the students that started there and we bonded and made some friends for life. The career opportunities that ESSEC also gave me were unbelievable.
Practical and useful
I think the best thing about Essec is that it's not focusing on academics rather it emphasizes on future job mindset and professional experiences..
The classes are interesting and we have plenty of workshops attributing to different sectors..
The campus is very nice with a good cafe and wonderful library.
The only problem is the location of the campus. It's quite far from Paris.
Amazing experience! Must try
I think its a very amazing school with great and experienced faculty. Also the alumni network is very solid and useful. The school has a great balance of studies and work experience which is really essential for a student.
GBBA: Diverse, Enriching, and Career-Boosting
My experience at ESSEC Business School has been outstanding. The Global BBA program offers a rich academic curriculum and diverse learning opportunities. I appreciated the chance to study on different campuses, including an international exchange, which broadened my perspective. The social environment is culturally diverse and vibrant, enhancing both my personal and professional growth. The administration is attentive, constantly offering new academic and student life opportunities. The campus facilities and classrooms are excellent. I highly recommend ESSEC for its excellence, global exposure, and career opportunities.
ESSEC BS BBA REVIEW
The English track BBA program at ESSEC is simply exceptional. Courses are taught by internationally renowned professors who are experts in their field. The subjects taught cover a wide range of disciplines from marketing to finance, strategy and entrepreneurship. The English track is a major asset because it allows you to develop perfect mastery of professional English, essential in today's globalized business world. Some students love student life at Essec, which is one of the best in France, but it all depends on taste.
Great program, incredible school
I love almost everything about this school, from the student life to the academic program and the opportunities it provides.
I'm currently at the Paris campus, in Cergy, and I'm really enjoying it.
The BBA program is very rich and diversified, you can start with geopolitics and then finance, what I mean is that there's a great balance between the subjects in this program.
I was also lucky enough to spend a semester at the Singapore campus, and I loved that experience on the other side of the world.
ESSEC is also known for its dynamic and rich student life, with access to several parties a week and the various associations within the school.
If I could recommend just one school, it would be this one - I'm 100% satisfied.
Great experience
First of all, what I appreciate the most is the academic environment. The courses are extremely stimulating and are taught by high-level professors, often experts in their field. The diversity of subjects offered, ranging from marketing to finance, including entrepreneurship, allows you to acquire a complete and versatile education. The group projects, although sometimes stressful, are also an opportunity to learn to work in a team, which is essential in the professional world. One area that I feel could be improved is the management of student events. Although many activities are organized, I have noticed that some events can lack organization or communication, which can frustrate those who want to get involved. Better coordination between the different student associations and the administration could really improve the overall experience.
