Flourish Africa
The Vision
We aim to catalyse a movement that empowers Africa to prosper as a flourishing continent over the next 20 years by nurturing change-makers who can transform complex systems.
Systems under stress create a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world. Africa faces many significant challenges that are straining its systems, demanding innovative solutions and resilient leadership.
A pressing issue is the lack of formal training for professionals that are capable of managing systems transformation in complex environments. This gap hinders impactful change.
Specifically, there is a critical shortage of skills and educational opportunities in systems thinking and transformation, stifling individual and collective progress. Addressing this deficit will cultivate African leaders able to drive long term improvements.
The Approach
Oxford University has developed a suite of innovative techniques for systemic transformation that blends engineering principles with social and organisational sciences. These tools, for example LAST shown below, were developed to in real world contexts and refined within the Saïd Business School’s Master’s programme, ensuring academic rigour and practical relevance.
We are building on this material to co-develop a Master’s programme in System Transformation with Universities in East (KEN), West (GHA), and South Africa (ZAF), delivered at these African Universities. By educating African professionals to both understand systems thinking and to develop practical skills they will excel in tackling complex systems problems.
Furthermore, we will develop educational material for a broad range of practitioners through open learning platforms.
The Masters Program
Combining Oxford’s multidisciplinary ethos and skills, with local expertise from Africa, creates an unparalleled opportunity for impactful learning.
The Masters is structured as :
Year 1, Learning: Three themes: Systems, Context, and Skills to provide a holistic understanding.
Year 2, Practice: Through applied research, students engage with communities as complex systems, catalysing transformative outcomes.
The phasing and indicative timing is:
0) 2024, Building the Foundation: Finalise curricula and partnerships for jobs. Governance.
1) 2025, Soft Launch: Enrol 15 students in KEN. 2) 2026, Launch: 30 students in KEN and 15 each GHA & ZAF. Systems Africa Research Conference
3) 2028, Local Expansion: Increase to 3x40 students. Develop open online learning platform.
4) 2030, International Expansion: add 3x10 international students, generating revenue to sustain and expand the programme.
The ambition is 150 place tuition free per year. We will work with African based organisations to create roles for the graduates to have ongoing impact. Annual gathering of Alumni to strengthen cross cohort cohesion.