A Master of Business Administration, or MBA, has long been regarded as the ultimate prize, with influential businesspeople wearing their degree with pride. It has been referred to as the golden ticket, opening doors to an invaluable alumni network and high-paying corporate roles.

Is an MBA still relevant for Africa, though? There have been increased calls for MBA programmes in South African, and African, business schools to be more tailored to the world of business in the region.

‘There is a massive disconnect that fundamentally exists within the African business education today,’ says Stephen Akandwanaho, dean of the IT and Research faculty at private higher education provider Richfield. ‘The classic MBA was built for markets driven by rough equilibrium and modest change. Yet Africa’s growth and expansion are occurring amid persistent turbulence, enduring imbalances, intersecting intricate systems and a collective drive for home-grown intellectual and technological power. An innovative African MBA must disrupt the culture of business schools to shift from mimicking non-African models to inventing novel frameworks that speak to the nature of markets and economies across the continent,’ he says.

‘The good news is that an MBA remains the most-recruited graduate management qualification, and four out of five employers anticipate the rising demand over the next five years,’ he says, quoting the Graduate Management Admission Council. ‘That figure does not sanction inertia. Instead, it should motivate business schools to graduate professionals who are commercially astute, digitally fluent and capable of effectively operating across intercultural ecosystems.’

Business schools are aware of this need for change, and have been updating and amending their programmes. ‘Students enrol in business schools to learn about the needs of the societies they serve,’ Pfano Mashau, a lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Graduate School of Business and Leadership, told JSE magazine recently. ‘Business schools need to teach about the local societal and business needs to capacitate the students with a good understanding of the environments in which their organisations operate.’

African academic bodies have also for years warned against simply importing US and European business school models, which often fail to consider the continent’s on-the-ground realities.

The South African Council on Higher Education has been pushing this line for two decades. During its review and reaccreditation of MBA programmes in 2002, it urged business schools to provide a ‘South African’ MBA programme in accordance with the social and economic needs of the country. The African Association of Business Schools (AABS) also encourages its member institutions to be responsive to the needs of their societies, launching in 2018 the first-ever accreditation for African business schools – underpinned by African values and contexts.

Lyal White, senior director of the University of Johannesburg Business School (JBS), says Africa is a latecomer to global business education. ‘It took nearly 50 years before the first MBA was offered outside the US. Even then, from Africa to Asia, degrees were either modelled on, or offered in partnership with, US MBA programmes,’ he writes in the Financial Mail. ‘Many insist the MBA is still ensconced in the US template.’

Nevertheless, leading South African business schools are making progress in localising their flagship MBA programmes. White believes ‘a global impact starts at home, in South Africa, with a continental vision that redefines the purpose of business in our African context’. He says the JBS wants to develop MBA students who will have a direct impact in the community, are part of day-to-day business in Africa and actively contribute to reducing unemployment in SA.

With many employers, such as Google, placing more value on on-the-job learning than on a university degree, the question that begs asking is whether an MBA still is as prestigious as it used to be.

In addition, it isn’t always realistic to be able to take the necessary time off to study. In South Africa, the MBA programmes run from one to four years, depending on the business school and format (full-time, part-time or online).

And are the skills taught in business school still relevant?

‘What’s missing?’ asks Chris Haroun, founder and CEO of Haroun Education Ventures, writing in a recent Forbes online blog. He answers his own question. ‘Essential skills like interviewing, selling, networking and managing personal finances. In the end, many MBA programmes aren’t teaching students how to actually start and run a company.’

But, while the sceptics abound, an MBA is still held in high regard, and those who have earned the degree have enjoyed its benefits in their careers.

‘Many students told me they had become a different person through the MBA,’ Wits Business School’s (WBS) MBA director, Jenika Gobind, told JSE magazine.

‘They described a life-changing experience that had transformed the way they speak and communicate, as well as their confidence levels, their leadership skills, and their outlook on life.’

She added that the course is founded on case-study interpretation, a global study tour and leadership modules, which all challenge the students to reflect, ask difficult questions and find a sense of purpose. ‘An MBA is not just about a student getting a certificate but about realising your potential and this new, more rounded individual that comes out at the end of the qualification.’

Gobind said the MBA hasn’t lost any of its appeal, and prospective students aren’t put off by the long hours and intensive study material.

‘The appetite for an MBA remains strong,’ she said. ‘WBS saw excellent numbers in the January 2025 intake, surpassing the previous year’s targets, with 215 candidates from more than 1 500 applications.’

According to Owen Skae, director of the Rhodes Business School in Makhanda, high expectations are placed on the MBA qualification because it still is a tough journey that equips participants with invaluable tools for the business world.

‘The richness of being part of a diverse group of motivated and talented students all bringing different perspectives to thinking about the pressing business problems of the day and conceptualising possible solutions makes it an unparalleled experience,’ he said.

MBA providers are also offering more options to time-poor prospective students, so they no longer have to either take time off work or try to juggle a demanding career with an intensive programme. UJ’s online MBA, for example, is structured to be completed in two years, but its flexible format allows students to study part-time, with the content of an online programme no different from the full-time MBA. ‘The only difference between the two is the manner in which classes and assignments are handled,’ says the university. ‘Through the use of chat rooms and other forms of online communication, students are still able to get direct feedback from their lecturers as well as interact and network with their peers.’

So, is the MBA still the acme of business training? For many, the answer remains yes – but with important caveats. The degree’s relevance now depends on how well it reflects the realities of the markets it serves and how effectively it equips graduates for a more complex business world. As South African and African business schools continue to reshape their programmes, the MBA is evolving rather than fading, with tradition getting a bit of a revamp.

Images: iStock