ShARE, an innovative global start-up at the crossroad of education and
consulting, recently launched its “Africa Leadership Programme”, which aims to mould
and nurture university students into conscious leaders who
will embed sustainability at the heart of Africa’s growth and development.
More than 9,000 students and young professionals in Africa took part in
the programme, with leading figures from BNP Paribas sharing their insights in
a webinar on 9 July. Students heard from Antoine Sire, Head of Company Engagement
BNP Paribas Group; Vikas Khandelwal, Head of Territory for BNP Paribas South
Africa; and Chrisdèle M’bemba, Director, Official Institutions Coverage Europe
& Africa BNP Paribas. They described BNP Paribas’ approach to working with
clients to create a better future, outlining business case study examples from
Senegal, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast and an overview of some of our corporate
philanthropy activities in South Africa.
The webinar, which was equally composed of male and female participants
from 48 of the 54 African countries, celebrated students as the crucial link in
Africa’s own awakening and sustainable development planning. Addressing the
young professional audience with words of inspiration, Antoine Sire remarked: “Hopefully
with the support of companies like BNP Paribas, your generation will be the one
which will make a difference. Your talent and knowledge will be the primary
resources needed to adapt to a fast-changing global society which is more
interconnected than ever.”
Taking the opportunity to motivate Africa’s potential future leaders
regarding the road ahead, Antoine Sire clarified the primary role of banking
stating: “While BNP Paribas prides itself
for the many philanthropic programmes that we maintain globally, our role as a
bank is to finance the economy, thereby helping to advance economic
development. Our ability to do so is entirely dependent upon the credit
worthiness of borrowers. This credit worthiness is reliant on the business
management practices that each of you will enact as you go forward with your
professional endeavours, and so your role in the future development of the
African economy is absolutely critical.”
This sentiment was shared by Sebastien
Frendo, Founder and CEO of ShARE:
“The resounding takeaway from this
discussion is that the evolution of Corporate Africa is very much in the hands
of these students and young professionals. Africa is full of bright minds and
entrepreneurs who are motivated to support and enable its growth ambitions.
However, these students don’t usually have the same learning opportunities as
those in Europe or the US. Our ambition with this programme is to give African
students the same learning opportunities as we offer students in Yale or
Oxford. African talents deserve the best and we are dedicated to providing them
with the highest level of education possible.”
BNP Paribas x ShARE Africa Leadership Programme Presentation |
