Investing in Africa’s future: one scholar at a time

Karen Chukwu did her MBA at SBS while launching a scholarship fund to ensure talented African students have access to financial support – here, she explains her vision and how the MBA has influenced her.

Quality education remains one of the most transformative tools for societal advancement. Yet across Africa, access to quality education and the resources needed to thrive within it remains uneven. In response to this gap, I launched the Karen Chukwu Scholarship Fund (KCSF) in 2023.

As an MBA student at Strathclyde Business School at the time, I was keen to support others who were willing to upskill themselves. Education is so important and key to our professional lives. After graduating with my MBA, I took the opportunity to do a PhD - I’m now a PhD candidate in International Business and a Stephen Young Institute for International Business Scholar.

For the past two years, I have dedicated myself to ensuring that talented African students have access to the financial support necessary to pursue their academic ambitions. Now in its third year, the scholarship is managed by my non-profit organisation, the Katwig Kare Foundation. Since its launch, the KCSF has supported dozens of African talents, made possible by the generous contributions of its partners and sponsors. The Fund prioritises students who are committed to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through their education and career choices.

The fund has changed a whole lot since the completion of my MBA. Firstly, I brought the fund under a more structured organisation to allow me to design strategies and projects that help us achieve my goal of supporting the education and upskilling of other Africans. Before my MBA, I had managed the fund alone, but now I have a team working with me on this to ensure operations are a lot more streamlined and we can achieve a lot. From sponsorship requests to applications etc, they have all been strategically designed to ensure that we continue to support more talents and I owe this to the MBA programme.

Coaching was also something I learnt in the MBA and decided to implement in my life. I sought a mentor who has been coaching me. We specifically had a conversation about the scholarship fund and ensuring its sustainability. His insights were crucial to how things have evolved. Learning about coaching during the MBA and how this is beneficial to business leaders has really helped with my scholarship fund plans.

When the 2025 application cycle opened, our team was prepared for strong interest but what followed exceeded all expectations: over 695 applications were received from across Nigeria. Each application told a powerful story of ambition, resilience, and a deep desire to make a difference, not just for oneself, but for communities across the continent.

In response to this overwhelming demand, the Fund will now award scholarships in cohorts throughout 2025. This phased approach allows the selection committee to give each group of scholars the attention they deserve, ensuring a more tailored and meaningful engagement.

Beyond tuition support, KCSF scholars also gain access to the Scholarship Community, a digital ecosystem designed to connect recipients with fellow scholars, provide mentorship from experienced professionals, and offer opportunities for collaboration and growth. The success of the KCSF is rooted in strong partnerships. 

An ongoing collaboration with AltSchool Africa has enabled the Fund to support scholars in digital fields, equipping them for the demands of a modern, tech-driven economy.

Our goal is to invest in Africa’s future, one scholar at a time. We plan to expand our partnerships, strengthen our mentorship offerings, and scale our impact through collaborations with education-focused institutions and business leaders within and beyond Africa.

The vision is simple but powerful: to invest in the most promising minds and equip them to shape the future of Africa.

About Karen Chukwu

Karen Chukwu did her MBA at Strathclyde Business School, graduating October 2024.