Today, while researching the prospects of the global energy transition at McKinsey’s Houston office, CEIBS MBA 2021 alum Tony Li sometimes recalls the autumn of 2019, when he had just returned to Shanghai from New Zealand. Back then, he was standing at the crossroads of transitioning from a consultant in the forestry industry into a business decision maker. The CEIBS MBA was the lighthouse that helped him find his way forward.

I spent my Saturday volunteering at the MBA 2028 Admissions kickoff event and while it was an absolute joy to serve, I found myself thinking about my own MBA journey when a question was asked by a potential candidate who participated online.

The question, permit me to paraphrase was, "Why should anyone come to China for an MBA and what was the competitive advantage of studying in China over choosing a Western education".

Why China? Friends and business colleagues have asked me this since I shared the start of my MBA journey.

When I first thought about pursuing an MBA in 2016, while I had yet to graduate from my undergraduate program, I looked to the West like most people. I researched Tuck, Wharton , HEC Paris, Rotman, INSEAD , London Business School, et cetera. I was on calls with these schools, sending emails and making enquiries days on end. QS and The MBA Tour were my best buddies for months. 

I never considered China in my preparation till I stumbled on the WELA Program at the CEIBS Accra campus. After much research, I applied in 2020 and got admitted to start my MBA at CEIBS, however ,COVID-19 happened, so I deferred and then life happened, so I couldn't return to school till this year when I was accepted again.

Now, why have I been earnest in my pursuit to study for an MBA at China Europe International Business School China Europe International Business School (CEIBS)? I will share my top two reasons with you.

The first is, while I have remained a local champion, starting the country's first audiovisual e-commerce platform and being a force in the audiovisual industry for years, offering quality products at reasonable cost, I always knew, I wasn't meant to do this forever. I needed to pursue something more in line with my personal development goals , so I could serve professionally on a global stage. I had been travelling to China for trade, transacting business with my suppliers and partners for years and each time, I got even more curious about the country. There was always some new idea to explore. New technologies were discovered, new infrastructure coming up, and in Guangzhou, the city was alive at all times of the day.

The opportunities are vast and endless with enough room for each market player to thrive and make meaningful impact. 

My second reason for choosing China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) is rather selfish, but I'll share anyway. With all the cross- border trade happening, there is the need to have trusted partners on both ends of the market for a successful business relationship.

In the time I spent consulting for SMEs who were importing raw materials from China, one major challenge they all had in common was,' who can we trust?'.

The question, although quite simple exposes some of the underlying issues of trading across continents with people from varying cultures and of different dialects. There are so many examples of Africans paying for goods they never receive, or when they do receive the container load of merchandise, they are met with substandard goods they paid a fortune for.

'Who can we trust?'

This question is also asked by Chinese investors and fast growing Chinese businesses looking to expand into our markets.

What then is the solution for both parties?  Think of Alibaba and how it offers an escrow service for payment to safeguard both customers and suppliers against fraud from either party.

The world is shifting from the West to the East.

China is no longer a developing country while Africa is still largely untapped and offers an advantage to its people to position themselves for growth and become first movers in their individual industries.

I want to be properly positioned to be a part of the history makers of leaders who bring the best of China to Africa and become the go-to-people for real time academic and professional insights of our markets. 

So, to the question,' why China?', I ask, ' why not China?'

If you're a believer of the ideas I've discussed, or have your own solid reasons to pursue an MBA education, look to the East. 

Your journey starts Now.