Strathmore Business School signed a $5M agreement with Excelsior Firm, a global capital advisory company, whose vision is to accelerate business and infrastructure growth in Africa and drive socio-economic impact. Working with partners from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Strathmore Business School, Excelsior Firm will create an innovative center called the Center for African Mid-Markets Expansion (CAMME), whose main focus is scaling up small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), beginning in East Africa, and then expanding across Africa and other emerging markets.

“This represents the future and not only of Africa, but Africa is the future of the world. SBS has been the beacon of world class executive education and excelsior a global leader in business innovation and growth” said Felix Olale, Vice-Chair of Board of Advisors – Excelsior Firm.

The objective of CAMME is to utilize market-based solutions and private-public partnerships to facilitate inclusive economic growth, by which it means: job creation for low and middle-income families, improved access to essential goods and services, environmental sustainability, and support for young and women entrepreneurs.

The 5 key activities of CAMME will include:

Focus of CAMME

The initial focus is on East African technology-enabled enterprises due to the strong continuing growth in the region, the ability for ICT infrastructure to facilitate progress across industries, and the role of entrepreneurs in not only creating economic growth but also in generating a substantial portion of jobs in developing countries. Furthermore, the gap in services supporting medium-sized enterprises is most prominent, so CAMME will give highest priority to working with these companies across its comprehensive service offering.