The Wharton Africa Business Forum (WABF) allows MBA students from all backgrounds to engage with influential African leaders, delve into the latest African business trends, and ignite fresh ideas, collaborations, and opportunities. An entirely student-run annual conference, WABF features a captivating lineup of thought-provoking sessions, keynote addresses by industry leaders, interactive workshops, and networking events. This year, the Forum welcomed speakers from a variety of companies and industries to weigh in on the impact of the ever-changing African business landscape.
Celebrating WABF’s 30-year anniversary, the conference co-chairs developed the theme ‘Homecoming: Looking Inward, Looking Forward’ as a call to action to reflect on their roots, engage in meaningful dialogue, and collectively shape the future of the continent. Wharton MBA Admissions sat down with WG24 Aramide Akinkugbe to reflect on the 30th iteration of the Forum and the impact WABF continues to have on the Wharton community.
MBA Admissions: How was the Homecoming theme decided upon, and how did that theme show up throughout the weekend?
Aramide Akinkugbe: When the three co-chairs initially met, we wanted to make sure this was a year of celebration. We thought about the number 30 as it relates to age – as many of us have recently turned 30 or will soon, we realized a 30th birthday is a coming of age and often symbolizes a new layer of life. That brought us to our theme of “Homecoming.” We wanted to celebrate WABF’s 30th anniversary as a milestone and a time to reflect on the past and how to change and be better in the future, just as you would on your 30th birthday, so we added on “Looking Inward, Looking Forward.”
We wanted to create a safe space for Africans at Wharton to come together, learn, grow, and even encourage people to explore the African business landscape as a place to contribute to post-MBA.
MBA Admissions: We noticed the first day of the conference is dedicated to prospective students – can you tell us more about how future Wharton students can get involved?
Aramide: This was one of the highlights of the weekend for us – in the past few years there hasn’t been any dedicated programming for prospective students, so we were happy to bring that back. I’m an Admissions Fellow so I often have conversations with prospective students, and I’ve gotten a handful of questions about WABF, so I felt like this was a population that we could engage with more, and that could add value to the forum.
I applied to Wharton as an international student, so I understand that it’s always more helpful talking to someone that’s been in your shoes. I think having this programming is a great way for prospective students from Africa or of African descent to engage with other Africans at Wharton and ask specific questions about our MBA experience.
We had five students sit on a panel to share advice, their experience in the Wharton MBA program, how to finance the MBA program, what they’ve accomplished here and so on. We then had an Admissions team member do a presentation on the specifics of the application, followed by a tour of campus.
I’m happy we were able to provide a dedicated space for prospective students to engage with us and each other before the beginning of the Forum. I’ve already heard from an attendee who has formed a group chat with other people she met that day to help each other with applications!
MBA Admissions: What are some of the ways WABF impacts the Wharton community?
Aramide: I think our biggest impact is inviting people outside of the Wharton community. A large portion of the conference attendees are not Wharton students; they are working professionals, and I think that a big part of the impact is encouraging them to apply to Wharton, or to consider business school in general. I think coming to a conference that is run completely by business school students highlights how we work together and what we can accomplish on a large scale, and that really goes a long way in changing someone’s mind about applying to business school.
In terms of the impact we make at Wharton, I think it brings people together to pour out their passions and interest in the African continent and business in Africa. McKinsey Africa is one of our sponsors and this year they hosted a highly attended session that allowed people to share stories about what it’s like to be a consultant in Lagos, South Africa, and Kenya. We hope to raise awareness about how it’s possible to achieve your goals working in Africa.
We’re also spreading the message that the Africa we envision can only be that Africa if people like us eventually go back and commit to making an impact. I think Africa is a continent to watch over the next few years. Africa is going to be the most populated continent I believe in the next 10 to 20 years, and Nigeria is going to be one of the most populated countries in the world.
There’s a lot of potential and opportunity sitting in Africa. In terms of the impact of WABF over the next few years, I want to see continued conversation on success and growth in Africa and calls to action on how we can improve it.
– Abigail Behrends
Posted: January 16, 2024