Since 2013, IE IMBA students have taken an annual two-week trip to Ethiopia as part of the Africa elective. The trip involves volunteer work in a local school as well as visits to local businesses to learn what it is like to operate at the base of the pyramid. Companies visited have included small commercial enterprises and shops, fish distribution, a multinational winery and the world´s largest rose farm, restaurants, internet cafés and other local operations. Based on their observations, students prepare a final report, usually in the form of a business project.

Powered by the IE Foundation, Financieros sin Fronteras (FSF), students of the Finance masters can choose to offer voluntary consultancy services to microfinance institutions in Ghana for their final projects. They will spend two weeks in Ghana working closely with these MFIs and upon their return to Madrid, will present their analyses and conclusions to the examination committee as part of their final exam to obtain their degree.

As part of the IE Brown Executive MBA curriculum, participants must spend a week in Cape Town to apply knowledge acquired in previous classroom and online sessions. The module in South Africa is an ‘immersion experience’, specifically designed for students to experience the ‘beyond business’ focus of the IE Brown program in a real setting.

As part of the International MBA, IE students have the opportunity to participate in Emzingo projects run in South Africa. At the end of the program, students would have enhanced business and entrepreneurial skills, have gained a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the social sector, as well as become more reflective and self-aware.

As part of its commitment to gender and diversity, IE In partnership with the Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) organization in Nigeria, launched the Women on Boards program to prepare female executives in Nigeria for positions on Boards by harnessing their soft and hard skills and unleashing their full potential as leaders. Top female executives and entrepreneurs across different sectors gather together for this three month blended format leadership development program with sessions in Lagos, Nigeria and Madrid.