Educating Africa’s Next Generation of Dealmakers: Oxford Saïd at AFSIC 2026
As Africa’s investment landscape matures, the leaders shaping its future are increasingly being trained for it directly. Oxford Saïd Business School’s Africa Initiative is doing exactly that, embedding Africa-focused content into its MBA and Executive Education programmes and building a global network of talent, alumni and industry leaders through the Oxford Africa Business Alliance and its annual Africa Business Forum. As one of the headline sponsors of AFSIC 2026, we spoke with Oxford Saïd about the gap their Africa Initiative fills, how their alumni network is already feeding into the continent’s investment ecosystem, and what they hope to gain from connecting with delegates in London this October. Oxford Saïd Business School is a sponsor for AFSIC 2026.
What is the mission behind Oxford Saïd’s Africa Initiative, and what gap is it designed to fill?
The mission of Oxford Saïd’s Africa Initiative is to build a strong network that bridges Africa and the global community, showcasing opportunities while equipping leaders to navigate challenges. Through thought leadership, talent and networks, we strengthen Africa’s voice globally and create avenues to support more informed leadership, investment and entrepreneurship across the continent. It addresses the need for more sustained, rigorous and connected engagement with African markets, leaders and institutions.
Oxford Saïd has embedded Africa-focused content directly into its MBA and Executive Education curricula — how does this translate into practical value for business leaders and investors working on the continent?
Africa focused teaching on our degree programmes gives students and executives the tools required to understand market complexity, financing, infrastructure, human capital, data and political context. Some classes are delivered on the continent, giving participants the opportunity to visit companies, engage with business leaders and see firsthand how organisations operate in African markets. For leaders and investors, this translates into sharper judgement, better risk assessment, stronger local partnerships and more informed decisions about where and how to build, invest and grow.
Through the Oxford Africa Business Alliance and the annual Africa Business Forum, you bring together students, alumni, and industry leaders — what themes or opportunities are you seeing emerge most strongly from those conversations right now?
Through the Africa Alliance and Africa Forum, now in its 18th year, we are seeing a clear shift from broad discussions about Africa’s potential to more practical conversations about implementable solutions for the next generation. Across these conversations, there is a strong emphasis on Africans being at the forefront of designing solutions to the continent’s challenges, with global partners playing a collaborative role through mutually beneficial partnerships. The opportunity is to move from dialogue to action by building the systems, partnerships and capital needed to unlock responsible growth.
What role do you see business schools playing in shaping how global investors understand and engage with African markets?
Business schools can help global investors develop a more nuanced understanding of African markets by highlighting opportunity, local context, talent, innovation and long-term growth potential. At Oxford Saïd, we do this by shaping what future leaders learn, bringing investors and business leaders into dialogue, and ensuring African perspectives are central to the conversation. This helps build stronger market insight, more credible leadership, and better informed engagement with African economies.
Through your Africa scholarships and recruitment efforts, you’re investing directly in the next generation of African business leaders — how do you see this talent pipeline feeding back into Africa’s investment landscape over the next decade?
Oxford Saïd has supported over 450 African students on our degree programmes, with alumni represented across more than 25 African countries. Today, African students represent around 10% of the MBA class, with over 60% receiving scholarships and over half being women. Many of our alumni already hold leading roles across the investment landscape on the continent and beyond, including in finance, venture capital, private equity, entrepreneurship, development finance and public institutions. Over the next decade, this pipeline will expand Africa’s investment landscape by producing investors, founders and operators who can mobilise capital, build investable businesses, improve governance and connect African opportunities with global networks.
What does Oxford Saïd hope to achieve by participating in AFSIC 2026, and what kind of delegates or partners are you hoping to connect with at the conference?
At AFSIC 2026, Oxford Saïd hopes to strengthen connections with investors, entrepreneurs, development finance institutions, corporates, and partners who are actively shaping Africa’s growth story. We are particularly interested in meeting delegates who share our commitment to talent, responsible investment, entrepreneurship and long-term institutional engagement with the continent. We also hope to explore how Oxford Saïd can support organisations through access to talent, research, education and convening platforms that advance long-term value creation in African markets.
About AFSIC – Investing in Africa:
AFSIC – Investing in Africa is Africa’s leading investment conference, now in its thirteenth year, connecting investors, businesses, and institutions across the continent’s most dynamic sectors. Held annually in London, AFSIC brings together a global community committed to unlocking investment and driving growth across Africa.
About African Investments Limited:
African Investments Limited, operates two multi award-winning digital platforms, the African Investments Dashboard (www.africaninvestments.ai), connecting global investors with curated, high-quality investment opportunities across Africa, and the Africa Business Opportunities Dashboard (www.businessopportunities.ai), which matches business, trade and investment opportunities across Africa covering all business objectives, products, sectors and countries in Africa.
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