On May 17, 2023, ZIBS China Africa Center (ZCAC) delegation visited Ant Group to explore the potential for cooperation between ZIBS, Ant Group, and the University of Pretoria's Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS).
ZIBS Professor and ZCAC Executive Director WEN Wu, ZIBS Visiting Professor and ZCAC Advisor Jaya Josie, ZCAC Managing Director Benjamin Dogani, and ZCAC Intern Francesca Leva visited Ant Group and met with YANG Dongye (Head of Operation, 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion) and ZHANG Yan (Associate Director, Cross-border Business Management).
Within the framework of cooperation ZIBS agenda with African universities and institutions, ZCAC is willing to launch a fintech training program for GIBS MBA students and African executives. ZCAC’s visit to Ant Group has been an occasion to discuss the collaboration possibilities between the ZIBS, Ant Group, and GIBS. It is expected to promote more in-depth cooperation in the future.
Following the ZIBS collaboration goal, YANG Dongye introduced the 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion (“10x1000”) , a philanthropic initiative jointly launched by Ant Group and International Finance Corporation (IFC) in 2018. 10x1000 aims to build a global and open community to provide learning and global networking opportunities to digital practitioners and enable them to become drivers of digital economic growth. As of today, more than 3,000 learners from 95 countries and regions joined the community by completing the 10x1000 Fintech Foundation Program and receiving a certificate, of which 12% are from African countries. 10x1000 is willing to partner with ZCAC to explore opportunities to help develop digital talent in Africa.
ZIBS and Ant Group agreed to offer 10x1000 learning opportunities to MBA students and senior business leaders in Africa, thus helping the digital talent development locally.
ZIBS China Africa Center was established in November 2022 with the aim of developing cooperation with ecological partners in Africa. The center focuses on academic and business research fields, and is committed to developing cooperative relationships between China and Africa in finance, trade, investment, and innovation.
