On a warm morning in Accra, a young woman named Mariam rolls up the shutters of her shop, where she sells shea butter and handmade crafts. Her products have found customers not only in Accra, but also in several boutiques in the United States—thanks to the duty-free access provided by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and assistance from Evi, a Dutch business student in the GBSN DHL GoTrade Fellowship Program.
Mariam and Evi are worried. Today, it is unclear whether AGOA or newly instituted tariffs take precedence. And the future of AGOA is uncertain at best amid rising global trade tensions. “If the U.S. market closes,” Evi says, “what happens to all this?” She gestures toward the shelves stocked with products made not just by Mariam, but by dozens of women in nearby villages. Although this story is fictionalized, the central question is playing out across Africa today in businesses of varying sizes and a wide range of industries. Thirty-two African countries were eligible for AGOA benefits in 2024, covering 6,700 products.
There is no escaping that the world is highly interconnected. Policy choices in one country, especially one as big as the United States, ripple across the global economy. The potential shuttering of Mariam’s business is just the tip of the iceberg. Many economists are worried about the broader economic impact, which will vary depending on the country. Lesotho, for example, is particularly vulnerable. Driven by heavy investment in apparel manufacturing, 20% of its total exports are covered by AGOA and will now face a 50% tariff.
But what’s happening now in Africa is just a small part of a much larger picture. The broader reality is that the continent stands at a pivotal moment, and our simple story masks the extent to which Africa can shape its own future. Africa’s economic prospects, its stability, and the well-being of people hinge on decisions being made today, not only by policymakers in other places but also by Africans in Africa. While the uncertainty surrounding AGOA, spurred by trade disputes and shifting U.S. tariff policies, has added a layer of urgency, core development challenges—reducing poverty, strengthening health systems, protecting ecosystems, and providing security—have persisted over time. What will it take for Africa to weather global storms while cutting a more effective path towards prosperity?
At GBSN, we think business schools play a vital role in shaping Africa’s future. For example, business schools have been developing entrepreneurial talent, incubating and accelerating startups, and building (and contributing to) robust innovation ecosystems. Part of our job as a network is to champion the development of management education as a potent local force, generating the entrepreneurial leadership for communities to thrive. Our efforts are also aimed at helping business schools work together across borders and sectors to enhance the innovative capacity of organizations and systems, create meaningful employment, promote inclusive wealth and well-being, and improve society.
That’s why we are going to Ghana for GBSN Beyond—to advance and accelerate this important work with entrepreneurs, enterprises, and ecosystems. We will be hosted by Ashesi University and, for the members meeting, CEIBS in Accra. Both institutions have made major contributions to entrepreneurial development in Ghana, West Africa, and the continent. If you haven’t already experienced Beyond, which is GBSN’s annual conference, you can expect an internationally diverse set of participants, generating new opportunities for their schools to work together to address the development needs of society. You will see that topics are selected to help schools understand and act on critical issues. Beyond cuts across disciplines and positions business schools at the nexus of business, government, and civil society.
Most importantly, you can expect GBSN Beyond to leverage the local context for learning and, generally, to support our mission. We recognize that the world’s grand challenges form a mosaic of related yet distinct issues across many different contexts and are committed to pursuing solutions that learn from and embrace the distinctive needs and opportunities of each community. At Beyond in Accra, you can expect participants from all over the world, but we will all lean deeply into Ghana and West Africa.
Entrepreneurship and innovation are important drivers of development, but the way forward also requires collaboration. I want to close this short piece by emphasizing that the best way forward for Africa requires its diverse countries to work together. At GBSN, we are committed to bringing together communities at various stages of development on equal and collaborative footing. By enabling—and expecting—contributions from all corners of the network, GBSN is stronger, more impactful, and resilient. Likewise, I believe, for Africa.
As we prepare for Beyond in Ghana, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is celebrating its 50th anniversary. In my view, ECOWAS was built precisely for pivotal moments like this. Founded on the ideals of regional integration and mutual progress, ECOWAS must now double down on efforts to strengthen regional trade, infrastructure, and financial systems to reduce reliance on external markets and support. The same can be said about the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)—it’s time to move more decisively across a number of areas, such as infrastructure and customs regulations. By investing in intra-African commerce, we can build more resilient economies. I would love to see business schools work together to take a lead role in advancing these objectives and serving as a platform to align policies on a wide range of challenges, as well as commerce.