Business school to expand in Africa

The Management Development Programme (MDP) is an initiative of the business school's public executive development and training company, known as USB-ED.

It is aimed at middle managers and equips them to more capably implement their companies' strategic business objectives.

Focusing not only on the essential business aspects, the programme also covers the more human elements of team dynamics, emotional intelligence, and leadership. The MDP may be tailored to suit the specific situations of companies.

No previous tertiary qualification is required. Those who complete the course may go on to the Senior MDP, which is aimed at helping senior managers to work efficiently within a corporate environment.

"Although the programme will be presented for the first time in these countries as an open programme," said WIllemien Law of USB-ED, "we can also customise it to address specific needs of the private sector and those of governmental departments."

More than 300 people sign up for the MDP annually. It is due to roll out in Zimbabwe, Kenya and Ghana in August and September 2010 and will be offered twice in each country before the end of 2010.

Registration is now open. Interested parties can go to the USB-ED website to download a registration form.

Top business school

The Stellenbosch Business School is one of South Africa's top rated executive education institutions.

Starting with just 14 MBA students in 1964 - of which eight received their degrees two years later - and four full-time staff in 1970, the institution now boasts almost 1 000 MBA, masters and PhD graduates. Distinguished alumni include Vodacom CEO Pieter Uys and Ras Myburgh, CEO of Kumba Iron Ore.

The USB is the only South African university business school to hold two international accreditations.

In 2000 it received its first European Quality Improvement System (Equis) accreditation, becoming the first in Africa to reach this milestone. It followed this accomplishment with accreditation from the London-based Association of MBAs (AMBA) accreditation in 2002.

The USB has entered into partnerships with highly regarded business schools in other countries, including the Vienna University of Economics & Business Administration, the University of Cologne, the Rotterdam School of Management, the ESCA School of Management in Morocco, and Singapore Management University.

Students benefit through exchange programmes, an annual international study tour, joint research projects, and international cooperation on academic programmes.

In 2008 the USB was named South Africa's top business school by benchmarking organisation Professional Management Review (PMR.africa).

Recently the USB came in 39th out of the world's 100 leading business schools, according to the 2009-2010 edition of the Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey released by the Washington D.C.-based Aspen Institute. The USB was the only such institution on the African continent to make the grade.

In May 2010 a new USB alumni association was established in East Africa.