During the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi (May 11-12, 2026), the ESSEC Business School’s Africa Chair signed a memorandum of understanding with Africa Global Logistics, IBL Group, and Vivo Energy, marking a new milestone in the advancement of this initiative dedicated to African industrialization, local transformation of raw materials, and strengthening the continent’s human capital.
Launched in 2024/2025, the ESSEC Africa Chair “Business and Industry” aims to train a new generation of African and international decision-makers through an immersive program combining case studies, industrial visits, and field internships. After a first cohort in Côte d’Ivoire, students traveled to Kenya in March 2026 to study the value chains of tea, coffee, port logistics, and energy.
For Benoît Chervalier, executive director and co-founder of the Chair, this private initiative sends a strong signal to the 2,000 leaders gathered in Nairobi: “We have a strategy, we have an ambition, and we have the tool to implement it.”
The industrial partners have also reaffirmed their commitment. Martin Mwangi, CEO of AGL Kenya, emphasized the importance of talent development and Africa’s integration into global value chains, while Vivo Energy highlighted its commitment to turning these exchanges into tangible results for the continent.
This momentum is expected to peak on June 15 and 16, 2026, in Paris during a high-level conference organized for the tenth anniversary of the Commodity and Energy Markets Association (CEMA), co-founder of the Africa Chair.
