Allianz Africa: MBA scholarships for African actors in sustainable development

Allianz Africa’s commitment to the development of the continent takes a new stage, through Allianz’s “Next Generations Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs” initiative. Indeed, Allianz is committed to offering ten (10) scholarships for a “Global Online MBA” from the prestigious ESMT Berlin school.

These scholarships are offered to both Allianz Africa employees and social entrepreneurs. The training aims to enable candidates to acquire knowledge and high-level leadership skills in order to deliver an even more positive impact on the business environment and the community in Africa.

“Allianz Africa believes this MBA will help our social entrepreneurs to become successful leaders. The analytics, ability to innovate and managerial skills that the program offers should enable them to make their businesses more sustainable and bring a stronger impact to the society,” explains Coenraad Vrolijk, Regional CEO of Allianz Africa.

Launched by Allianz SE, this program aims to offer 10 scholarships per year. The first edition has chosen Africa as their cradle and will be held 100% online.

Thus, for the 2021 edition, 4 female candidates and 3 male candidates from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal were selected.  They started classes in September. The selection process, carried out in close collaboration with Allianz operating entities in Africa, is still ongoing, since 3 other scholarship beneficiaries will join the first 7 in May 2022.

This MBA is also the first to be entirely virtual at ESMT, of which Allianz is one of the founding companies. “We appreciate the deep, long-term partnership we have with Allianz and look forward to working together to support these MBA candidates in their forward-thinking projects,” says Jörg Rocholl, President, ESMT Berlin.

Students follow the program at their own pace to continue working full time. Program fees amount to € 25,000 / year, 96% of which is covered by this program, with a personal contribution of € 1,000 from each participant to ensure their commitment.

It should be noted that the program will be particularly focused on individuals having a strong environmental and social impact in Africa. “The Allianz Next Generations Fellowships continues the successful legacy of providing educational opportunities in developing areas to promote sustainable transformation in business and society,” insisted Jörg Rocholl.

For its part, Allianz Africa firmly believes that training young people to cultivate leadership focused on sustainable development is likely to help Allianz “secure the future” of generations to come.

“We secure your future” is the purpose of Allianz Africa and the Group. It translates to being a responsible company recognized for the confidence of its customers and shareholders, for its loyalty and for its significant contribution to the communities in which Allianz operates.

“Our “Environment-Social-Governance” approach is at the heart of our corporate strategy, and we are committed to investing in the positive development of societies around the world. And therefore, we will use our roles as an employer, insurer, investor, and corporate citizen to build a secure future for tomorrow,” concluded Stefan Britz, Chief Human Resource Officer at Allianz, who sees this strategic partnership with ESMT Berlin as an important step in creating a societal impact.