AABS – The Association of African Business Schools, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the growth of Africa by ensuring quality education in management and business administration.
Created in 2005, AABS now has 56 members spread over 15 African countries.
In 2018, AABS decides to launch its own accreditation, the very first African accreditation for business schools in Africa.
This accreditation is based on values relating to the African continent and promises to bring African business schools to the forefront of management education.
From the outset, HEM chose to take up the challenge of AABS accreditation and tackled the file, thus beginning a process lasting 36 months, including a first phase of sending a letter of expression of interest from HEM, a second request for eligibility and a final one for writing a self-assessment report, in English.
Based on this report, a jury then evaluated HEM over several days during which all of the school's stakeholders were questioned (Management Committee, teachers, students, partners, winners, etc.). More than 700 MB of data and data on HEM, were made available to the jury for studies, analyzes and decision of accreditation of HEM.
The jury in question was composed of 3 people in the persons of:
Mr. Karim SEGHIR, President of Ajman University in the United Arab Emirates
Mr. Ahmed ABDEL-MEGUID, Professor-Chartered Accountant at the American University of Cairo in Egypt
Mr. Hatem MASRI, Dean-Professor of Analytics at the University of Bahrain Business School, Kingdom of Bahrain
It should be noted that AABS accreditation is based on 11 standards in line with international accreditation standards, namely:
- Relevance to the African context: The whole school approach demonstrates environmental awareness (national, political, legal, social and economic) and has the mission and program portfolio that responds to the needs of its operating environment
- The mission, vision and strategy: the school is built around a clear mission, vision and strategy, known to all, which guide the stakeholders on a daily basis.
- Governance: the general functioning of the school has a system of governance that ensures the achievement of the overall strategy.
- Resources: available funds and resources are managed effectively and efficiently to achieve the institution's objectives.
- The students: the school is committed to putting the student at the center of its concerns and ensures that they are responsible and qualified citizens.
- The teaching staff: the school's training is built around an expert teaching staff to best ensure the transmission of knowledge.
- External relations: this concerns relations with Alumni, national and international academic partners as well as companies in order to guarantee the adequacy between the programs and the needs of the market.
- The program: the school offers a variety of coherent programs converging towards efficient integration into the labor market
- Research: the school has a research activity linked to its vision and mission.
- Impact on Africa: The school contributes to inclusive economic and social development in Africa through its governance structure, stakeholder relations, outreach to diversification and comprehensive program portfolio.
- Sustainability: The school has a comprehensive approach to sustainable management through its governance structure, its relations with stakeholders, its offer, and its impact on the African continent.
This accreditation represents several advantages for HEM. Among them :
- International recognition of excellence, which further enhances HEM's position and reputation with the various stakeholders
- An even stronger appeal of HEM to professors and teachers, students, employers, strategic partners, etc.
- A commitment of HEM to a process of continuous improvement, allowing it to adapt quickly to the changing needs of the environment in which the school operates
- HEM is now part of a seamless network encouraging peer-to-peer learning and sharing of best practices among AABS-accredited Business Schools.
International recognition!
Yasmine Benamour, President of LCI Education Africa and Managing Director of HEM declares: "We are honored and proud to have obtained this prestigious and demanding African accreditation, the process of which lasted 3 years and required a commitment flawless HEM team. This label confirms the anchoring of our school as one of the leaders in private higher education in Africa”.
For his part, Ali EL Quammah, Development Director LCI Education Africa, Director of International Relations, and Holder of the HEM Accreditation Project declares: "Today, higher education increasingly represents a globalized knowledge community where new models of knowledge, alliances, social and professional relationships are born. This new paradigm strongly motivates renowned institutions such as HEM to innovate and continually strengthen their quality control processes and the continuous improvement of their programs and pedagogy. The process of a continental accreditation allowed us to prepare a self-assessment report in accordance with the 11 standards set by the African Association of Business Schools (AABS). Obtaining AABS accreditation is true recognition of HEM's expertise in the field of higher education. »
