GBSN facilitated the creation of AABS, the purpose of which is to promote excellence in business and management education in Africa by supporting graduate business schools through capacity building, collaboration and quality improvement. AABS programs focus on developing the institutional capacity to teach leadership and other managerial skills to improve management of African organizations. The association strives to enhance the relevance and contribution of business schools to policy discussions on African development, including contributing to research and policy development.
In many parts of the world, the most formidable development obstacle we face today is the poor performance of the private sector and the need for greater focus on growth-oriented interventions. Weak capacity across the board is consistently cited as a major stumbling block and a large portion of the private sector continues to face numerous obstacles due to poor management and technical capacity, and a shortage of skilled managerial candidates. Business schools are the primary suppliers of management and leadership talent. With improved business education, graduates are better suited to develop and grow local businesses, leading to a more vibrant private sector and improved economic performance. 
