Eight days ago, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak changed his entire Cabinet and replaced PM Atif Obeid with the younger Ahmed Nazief, because Obeid was unable to pursue economic reforms. Now that a younger PM is in place, policy changes have been forecast. However, one policy is likely to continue — both PMs want IIM Ahmedabad to set up a premier management institute in Cairo or some other Egyptian city.All this began in May this year, when IIM Ahmedabad’s Dean (Academic), Professor Indira Parikh, flew to Cairo to attend a workshop. Obeid, still the PM, met her and told her that if his country was going to have a modern management institute, it would have to be set up by IIM Ahmedabad. He recalled how, on a trip to Washington, he was impressed by an Indian business graduate who had completed his studies from IIM Ahmedabad.Ahmed Nazief, the new PM and Communications and Information Technology Minister in the Obeid-Ministry, was scheduled to come to India to finalise the deal with the IIM on his way back from the Asian Telecom conference to be held in Seoul in September.Says Rajendra Rathore, Indian Ambassador in Cairo, ‘‘There may be a change in plans as Nazief has become the PM. But a team of Egyptian officials are reaching Ahmedabad in August to finalise the deal with the IIM regarding holding management courses for both private corporate executives and government officials from Egypt.’’ IIM sources said it could well be that these Egyptians would come down or Cairo would host the workshops.Before leaving for Cairo, Professor Parikh had met HRD officials in Delhi as Egypt had shown keen interest in importing IIM Ahmedabad’s teaching modules. As the director of the institute, Professor Bakul Dholakia pointed out, ‘‘We never wanted to set up an IIM. That would entail a lot of complications. But we may help other nations set up their own premier management institutes.’’‘‘It could be an ideal case of South-South cooperation and open new opportunities in the education sector,’’ said Ambassador Rathore. It is apparent that the IIM does not foresee any large government involvement in the process. Sources said they have already been in touch with the HRD Ministry. HRD officials said the former HRD and now Petroleum Secretary, S.C. Tripathi, had been in touch with IIM Ahmedabad on the issue. And a policy intervention from the government would not be necessary as the IIM was not really setting up a campus abroad.The IIMs of Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta are in touch with various consortiums in countries abroad and organising short-term training programmes for them. But this is the first time that an IIM is formally dealing with a country. True, as Professor Parikh recalled, there have been overtures from Sri Lanka.
