Dr. Simon Sigué, interim dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, is supporting the development of African business through the Academy of African Business Development
Dr. Simon Sigué joined Athabasca University more than 20 years ago to make change, which he continues to do today as the interim dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and as a marketing professor in the Faculty of Business. He’s also realizing his highest contribution as a board member and former president of Academy of African Business Development (AABD). The role allowed him to connect people from Africa to the rest of the world.
“Every time you have the opportunity to be a leader in an organization, it is a privilege that you should be proud of,” said Sigué, who served in this capacity from 2019 until this past spring.
International conference celebrates 25 years
Established in 1999, AABD’s mission is to serve as a distinct forum for intellectuals of all backgrounds to discuss, analyze, and advance solutions to Africa's business and development challenges. It also provides opportunities for research capacity building in Africa.
The organization celebrated its 25th annual international conference this past May, held at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. The 2025 conference focused on Reshaping Africa’s Sustainable Development through Digital Inclusion.
“The feedback that we received from participants year after year has been just extremely positive,” Sigué said.
Connecting communities locally and globally
AU has a long-standing connection with the AABD. Sigué and Dr. Jacob Musila, an associate professor in Faculty of Business, joined the academy as members in 2002. AU, in partnership with MacEwan University, hosted the annual conference in 2011 in Edmonton, Alta. This was a major achievement, Sigué explained, as it was among the first international conferences that AU hosted.
One of Sigué’s proudest achievements with AABD has been the growth of the Journal of African Business. Since it was created more than 20 years ago, the journal has grown in frequency and impact. It went from publishing two issues per year to quarterly and has a five-year impact factor of 2.5. Sigué played a major role in its advancement, serving as editor in chief from 2009 to 2018.
“This is a major achievement in the academic side of the organization,” he said.
Conference attracts high-profile speakers from around the world
For its 25th conference, AABD sought high-profile keynote speakers such as
Dr. Samuel Wamba Fosso, associate dean of research at Toulouse Business School. Wamba Fosso is a highly influential researcher, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence, with more than 45,000 citations in Google Scholar.
Another notable speaker from the conference was Dr. Judith Dlamini, chancellor of the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. DIamini was a physician before changing direction and pursuing a doctorate in business, focusing on corporate finance and business creation and promotion. Having her as a keynote speaker was important for the AABD to create the link between academia and business, Sigué said.
Responding to global challenges
Holding the conference in an African country makes it more accessible for graduate students and young faculty members from that region to attend the pre-conference workshops, which are an important part of the event. Workshops are led by facilitators and provide attendees with the necessary knowledge to publish their work.
One of the topics discussed this year was how to use AI to do literature review—a topic that is relevant to not only to AU students, but learners form all over the world.
“All organizations around the world are facing similar challenges. The world is interconnected,” Sigué said. “We have to make sure that our students become global citizens who can really drive changes and major transformations within the country and on the global stage.”
Future of African business development
Having witnessed the excitement and the networking that resulting from this year’s AABD annual international conference in South Africa, Sigué said he came away inspired for the future of the academy and the many leaners it touches across the world.
“Every time you have young people involved in a project, it’s difficult to know what's going to happen, but you know many things can happen.”
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