2023 World Talent Ranking from the International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
The International Institute for Management Development (IIMD) is a business school with campuses in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Singapore. Its MBA programme taught wholly in English placed the institution among the best in the world. For 35 years since its inception, IMA has annually released the World Talent Ranking. Based in Switzerland, continuously ranking the host country as the best in the last decade could send waves of bias to the conspiracy types.
In the last 10 years, IMD has ranked Switzerland at the top of its list of 64 countries hand-selected as having strong economies. What criteria this is based on, BantuPage could not clearly ascertain. Some have argued that the organisation is too Eurocentric and its criteria are defined to suit the world defined by the unipolar West; others have argued the opposite: that IMD’s findings are a fair and balanced output based on the criteria stipulated by the institution.
Africa has fallen way behind in the list; its representation proportionally to the world sees an unprecedented failing continent. Is it that Africa has no talents or innovation, or is Africa not focusing on the metric that most developed countries use to push their citizens? In this year’s list, two sub-Saharan African countries made the list. Will this spearhead more African countries in the coming years? West Asia, or as many call it, the Middle East, has seen unprecedented growth, especially in the countries of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council), almost all of which are featured in the 64-country list.
Of the top 10 countries, nine are European. The highest-ranking African country was Botswana in 40th place, ahead of China, Italy, Poland, India, and Brazil. The second African country was South Africa, at position 61. Why is Africa often last on most metrics?
Singapore was the highest-ranking Asian country at position 8, leaving the second-place Hong Kong SAR at a double-digit position 16, with Taiwan wrapping up the third spot at position 20.
In the Middle East or West Asia, the United Arab Emirate was the king at position 22, followed by Bahrain at position 27. Directly behind Bahrain was Kuwait at position 28.
In South America, Chile proved dominant, standing at position 50 but closely followed by Argentina at position 54, with Peru clinging to the 3rd spot at 55.
To the north of the Americas, Canada takes the lead at position 13, followed by its closest ally and neighbour, the USA, standing at position 15, whilst Mexico wrapped up at the third position at 59th on the 64-country list.
By Ikechukwu ORJI
