22 November 2018 - HEC Paris celebrates the opening of its first office for West and Central Africa, in Abidjan.
The HEC office, which benefits from the continued support of CGECI, aims to train hundreds of financial managers and business strategists each year and to promote and develop the school’s activities in this region.
The opening ceremony, sponsored by Ivory Coast’s First Lady, Dominique Folloroux Ouattara, was attended by Nathalie Lugagne (Associate Dean of HEC Paris Executive Education), Armelle Dufour (Director of all Global Initiatives projects), Alexis John Ahyee (Director of HEC Paris’ office for West and Central Africa) as well as key Ivorian leaders, such as Pierre Magne (acting Vice President of CGECI), Tiémoko Yadé Coulibaly (honorary President of HEC Paris on the Ivory Coast), and Daouda Coulibaly (President of HEC Paris Alumni chapter on the Ivory Coast).
Since last January, the office has been lead by Alexis John-Ahyee, an African director with vast professional experience both in HR and talent development across the region. He states : « Economically, Abidjan is one of the most dynamic African capitals, boasting a growth rate of 7.8%. A window to the wider world, it attracts investors, multinationals and entrepreneurs. Strengthened by its cultural diversity, it is the ideal environment to promote innovation and value creation. HEC Paris strives to tap into this region’s talents by offering internationally-recognized training programs to professionals from Ouagadougou to Douala ; from Lagos to Dakar. »
François Collin, Associate Dean of International Affairs at HEC Paris, assures : « HEC Paris’ commitment to Africa is long-term. A successful economic partner in Africa, we share our expertise and further the training of their students and managers with valuable insights. As such, the office for West and Central Africa represents a crucial step. It is a sign that Africa and its leaders are fully integrated into global value chains.
«Characterised by its highly international education mission, it is only fitting that HEC Paris wants to be a key player in the training of future African managers; that we seek to contribute to the development of the skills of its leaders and business managers and to support the continent’s talents, which will shape the Africa of tomorrow. I am therefore delighted that the Republic of the Ivory Coast trusts HEC Paris to train and support the managerial and entrepreneurial development of its civil servants: more than 5000 administrative managers will be trained by 2020, » confirms Nathalie Lugagne, Associate Dean of HEC Paris Executive Education.
Our program offer consists of two Executive Certificates - MUST (Management of a Strategic Unit) and Finance – and several short programs on different managerial themes that have been adapted to meet the needs of African leaders.
Africa and HEC Paris :
- Number of students of African origin who have enrolled in training courses : 276
- Alumni community on the continent : 1700
- Number of partner universities : 6
The MUST program is designed for managers who are responsible for developing their Business Unit. Participants are equipped with the fundamentals of profit centre management in its strategic, financial, human and operational dimensions. Participants of the Executive Financial Certificate in blending learning will learn the main concepts of corporate finance; develop a financial policy; master the financial issues of an external growth operation, among other things.
Two complementary training courses that will allow African executives to develop their skills.
The first group of participants will start their training program in January 2019.
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