The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), dedicated to identifying and grooming business students, young entrepreneurs and CEOs of African corporations at various stages of their development, was represented at the sixth meeting of the Global Business School Network (GBSN) conference at the Instituto Panamericano de Alta Direccion de Empresa (IPADE Business School) in Mexico City which held June 20-23, 2011. This capacity-building conference, co-hosted by IPADE Business School, brought together 140 regional and global leaders of business schools, corporations, foundations, government, corporations and development organizations, from more than 37 countries spanning the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America. The theme of the event was 'Generating leadership: developing human capacity in emerging markets'. GBSN's mission is to strengthen management education for emerging markets through a unique global network of business schools. The network helps to provide the rigorous yet practical local training business and management student demand, resulting in a stronger pool of local leadership and management talent for all sectors. Dr. Wiebe Boer, chief executive of TEF, was among the participants at the conference. As part of the conference, Dr. Boer held discussions with the African Association of Business Schools, the Global Business School Network, and other key stakeholders on how to catalyse substantial growth in the provision of management education at all levels across Africa. "Africa is experiencing remarkable growth, but that growth is not sustainable and does not benefit Africa substantially if it is not driven by Africa's own management talent," Dr. Boer said. "Our approach to enhancing management education in Africa is to be proactive in forming synergies with global leaders in management education and deepen the relations." "What we have been discussing is an initial strategic plan on how to fill those gaps by catalysing a broad focus on the issue of management education as a key component of Africa's economic transformation and competitiveness." TEF's participation in the GBSN 2011 conference comes on the heels of the Foundation's collaboration with the Financial Times' for the This Is Africa Special Report on Business Education: Building Human Capital'. As a part of TEF's commitment to economic transformation in Africa through investments that enhance the competitiveness and growth of the African private sector, the Foundation believes education is the key to unlocking Africa and in building entrepreneurship - which leads to economic development and prosperity. TEF aims to lead the charge in developing a catalytic plan to enhance business education across Africa. Last month, TEF launched the African Markets Internship Programme (AMIP), a 10-week MBA internship program designed to improve the competitiveness of innovative small and growing African businesses, while introducing some of the world's brightest new business management talent to the growth opportunity that African markets represent. AMIP interns were drawn from leading graduate business schools in East and West Africa, Europe and the U.S. and placed in highly structured programs at companies in Lagos, Nairobi and Accra. About The Tony Elumelu Foundation The Tony Elumelu Foundation is an African-based and-funded not-for-profit institution, dedicated to the promotion and celebration of excellence in business leadership and entrepreneurship across Africa. As a 21st century catalytic philanthropy, the Foundation is committed to driving the continent's economic growth from within by proving the African private sector can itself be the primary generator of economic development. Founded in 2010 by Tony O. Elumelu, MFR, the Foundation identifies and grooms business students, young entrepreneurs and CEOs of African corporations at various stages of their development. It seeks to use African capital and leadership to create a pipeline of entrepreneurs, while also supporting imaginative business leaders whose ideas can create sustainable employment and foster regional partnerships.