Emergence of a higher education born global in Africa: The role of the business network

The aim of this article is to identify the role of the business network in the emergence of a higher education born global in Africa, which must become international as soon as it is created in order to ensure its longevity. The emergence of a new international business school in Togo is analyzed from a business network perspective. The establishment of key interorganizational relations thanks to signs of institutional and individual trust participates in the emergence of a new organization in an environment characterized by strong barriers to entry (national and international accreditations, media rankings, etc.). The application of theories borrowed from business networks and international entrepreneurship in the higher education sector is an original contribution to the research. Our results are focused on the emergence phase of the business network and greatly enrich the works that are more dedicated to the network consolidation phase