IB African Business Careers Club wins prestigious debate at Annual Cambridge Africa Together Conference

The IB African Business Careers Club has claimed a remarkable victory at the 11th Annual Cambridge Africa Together Conference, one of the most influential student-led forums exploring Africa’s evolving global role. Held on 9–10 May 2025, the conference brought over 250 delegates to Cambridge, offering sharp insights into African development beyond traditional narratives.

Competing in the Inter-University Africa Debate, Imperial’s team triumphed over rivals from Cambridge, Oxford, and LSE, arguing the motion: “This House Believes Foreign Investment Is Deepening Inequality and Dependency in Africa.” The motion was rooted in the Ichikowitz Family Foundation's African Youth Survey 2024, which revealed that 72 per cent of African youth believe foreign investors exploit the continent's natural resources for their own benefit. 

This year’s theme, "The Flames of the Big Four, Shining with Many More", challenges conventional thinking around African investment patterns. While Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Egypt – the "Big Four" – still attract the lion’s share of foreign direct investment (FDI) and venture capital, the theme spotlights the growing momentum and untapped potential across a broader range of African nations.

Imperial’s winning team included researchers Michel Akylangongo, Ejiro Onwo and Itai Dzinotyiwei alongside debaters Emmanuel Thomas and Maazu Bayuoni, who was also awarded the Best Speaker title. Their victory marks a major moment of recognition for the Club’s commitment to championing rigorous, Africa-focused dialogue on the world stage. 

“Our mission as a Careers Club is to foster the collaboration with the robust academic network that Imperial Business School provides. It means a lot to win against some of the best universities in the UK. We debated Oxford earlier this year and lost. This win is a testament to our growth, discipline, and team effort.”
Michel Akylangongo, the Club's president.

The IB African Business Careers Club is a student-led group committed to connecting African students to career opportunities and deeper engagement with the continent’s business and political landscape.

The event was judged by an influential panel that included Botswana’s Vice President, Ndaba Gaolathe; African Union Youth Envoy, Madam Chido Mpemba; and Mr. Ivor Ichikowitz, Chairman of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation.

Maazu Bayuoni, the lead debater, credits their success to a structured, evidence-based strategy. He said, “We focused on building a clear and measurable framework to assess whether FDI leads to inequality and dependency. The idea was to frame the argument intelligently, using a calculated approach we’ve learned at Imperial."

Maazu cited Professor Tim Weiss’ elective “Shaping Frontier Markets” as key to developing his perspective, “The class gave me the analytical lens to ask: who is value being created for, and how is it distributed in emerging markets? My academic learning, practical experience in impact investing, and lived experience on the continent helped our team challenge oversimplified narratives around foreign investment and inequality with a more nuanced, data-driven view.”

“This victory shows that our voices as African students matter,” Michel added.

“It also reflects Imperial’s identity – where science means business – and how we apply intelligent thinking to real-world problems," said Maazu.

The team presented the trophy to Dean Peter Todd, commemorating their win and continuing to raise the profile of African voices within the Business School and beyond. 

“It was a pleasure to host the IB African Business Careers Club and congratulate them on nudging out such eminent competition to win the Inter-University Africa Debate. Their trophies are now on proud display in the Business School, having been kindly presented to us by the club members,” the Dean said.

Looking ahead, the team hopes to see more institutional support for student-led initiatives like theirs. “Why can’t we host an African Business Summit right here at Imperial?” Maazu asked. “There are incredibly successful African alumni who could help shape important conversations about frontier markets. Imperial is the future – and we want to be part of how it leads.”