African Management Institute

Our Purpose

AMI enables ambitious businesses across Africa to thrive. We believe that skilled people build thriving businesses, thriving businesses create quality jobs, and quality jobs drive prosperity and dignity.

Our Story

AMI was founded in 2014 by Jonathan Cook, former director of South Africa’s Gordon Institute of Business Science, and Rebecca Harrison, a foreign correspondent and social entrepreneur. We shared a vision for a million skilled managers and entrepreneurs building thriving businesses, creating jobs and getting Africa moving. But we saw there was something missing. While there is no shortage of talent in Africa, there is a critical lack of business and management skills. Most traditional training solutions are expensive, ineffective and ill-suited to dynamic Africa markets. We created AMI because we believe there was a better way to learn, and that with the right tools and habits, entrepreneurs and managers across the continent could be empowered to drive Africa forward.

Our Approach

AMI’s learning model is built around the simple evidence-backed principle that adults learn by doing.

Instead of training managers and entrepreneurs in concepts and theories, we introduce them to practical business and management tools that can be downloaded on a phone or laptop, and immediately applied at work. Through powerful learning experiences and peer-to-peer support, we encourage our users to implement these tools in their businesses over time, until they become habit. And that’s where the magic happens. Our tool-based learning approach helped entrepreneurs increase revenue by 60% in a year, while 90% of companies who send staff on our management training say they see immediate tangible impact in the business. Interested in learning more?