The MBA Tour in Nigeria, 8th October 2016

The MBA Tour’s MBA Conference that took place in Lagos on Saturday, 8 October featured admissions directors from internationally ranked business schools, and close to 200 highly talented MBA hopefuls. This is The MBA Tour’s fourth time coming to Nigeria since their inaugural event in 2013, and the events have seen steady growth in not only attendance, but also the quality and preparedness of attendees, and the interest in the African market from top business schools.

The average age of registrants was 30 years, with 5 years of work experience. This is much higher than other regions The MBA Tour travels to, which speaks to the preparedness of candidates. Thirty-five percent of these registrants were women, demonstrating an increased demand for graduate business degrees among women in Africa. Finance, consulting, and engineering were among the top professions represented at the conference.

Peter Von Loesecke, CEO and Managing Director of The MBA Tour, traveled to Africa with The MBA Tour for the first time this year. He was impressed by the stellar quality of candidates and looks forward to expanding The MBA Tour’s presence by partnering with many domestic institutions to develop more leaders in Africa. Some such organizations at the event in Lagos included EducationUSA, the US Consulate, Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), and Total Ascent GMAT & Admissions Preparation, among others.

Somegraduate business schools, such as MIT Sloan and Columbia University (USA), have been traveling to The MBA Tour’s events in Africa since their inception:

“The MBA Tour in Africa is a great opportunity for MIT Sloan to meet a diverse group of talented candidates across Africa who might not otherwise have an opportunity to meet face to face with admissions representatives. Not only can they get to know us and ask questions about our programs and the application process, but it also gives us an opportunity to get to know more about the candidates,” said Tommaso Canetta, Assistant Director of Admissions at MIT Sloan School of Management.

Tommaso also provided feedback on the Lagos event Saturday: “As one of our largest markets in Africa, the Lagos event allowed us to meet many impressive candidates, from those just starting to consider the value of an MBA, to those who were ready to submit their applications. Through our presentation and one-on-one conversations during the fair, we provided information and answered questions to help students as they navigate the business school admissions process.”

At The MBA Tour in Lagos, attendees navigated through GMAT strategy sessions, an admissions panel, individual school presentations, and an open Fair in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the rigorous MBA application process. Many attendees left the event with a better idea of what types of programs they should consider. They also expressed excitement that schools have placed a priority on recruiting top talent in Africa. “I really was encouraged seeing others like me in some stage in their application process. I was also encouraged that top foreign schoolsare beginning to come to our country and encourage and advise us on our professional next steps,” said one MBA aspirant.

The MBA Tour hosts events across Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa. They plan to return to the continent in October 2017, but will be increasing their efforts to prepare students for MBA applications and admittance through additional events throughout the year. In total, The MBA Tour organizes over 70 events across 5 continents, in over 30 countries. Since 1993, The MBA Tour has been a valuable information source on MBA admissions, connecting talented and driven MBA aspirants with top business schools and like-minded institutions in higher education.

More information can be found on their website at http://www.thembatour.com/.