Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for the joint development and delivery of a Master of Business Administration in Hajj Operations Management (MBA-HOM).
The agreement, facilitated through the ABU Distance Learning Centre and the NAHCON Hajj Institute of Nigeria (HIN), was signed during a ceremony held at the Hajj House in Abuja on Friday.
The partnership is aimed at establishing a framework for collaboration in the planning, delivery and continuous improvement of hajj operations and management through specialised academic and professional training.
Under the agreement, both institutions will collaborate on curriculum development and periodic reviews to ensure that the programme reflects global best practices in hajj and umrah management.
The scope of the partnership also includes the delivery of specialised hajj and umrah courses, professional seminars, executive education programmes, internships, field attachments, research and innovation as well as industry engagement and international collaborations.
According to the terms of the MoU, ABU, through its Distance Learning Centre, will assume overall academic responsibility for the programme and ensure compliance with the university’s quality assurance standards.
The university will also secure and maintain all relevant academic approvals and accreditation for the MBA programme in line with regulatory requirements.
ABU is further expected to admit qualified candidates in accordance with its admission regulations and provide academic staff to handle management and related courses under the programme.
The institution will equally conduct examinations, moderate and approve results, and award successful participants the MBA in Hajj Operations Management degree.
The agreement also provides that the university will oversee academic administration and learner support to guarantee effective programme delivery.
On its part, NAHCON, through the Hajj Institute of Nigeria, will provide technical leadership on hajj and umrah operations and contribute practical industry expertise to the programme.
The commission will nominate qualified practitioners as adjunct lecturers and resource persons, subject to the university’s academic requirements, while also facilitating practical training, field visits and internship placements within and outside Nigeria.
Both parties recognised the importance of preserving and disseminating research outputs arising from the programme and agreed that the MoU would not affect the ownership of intellectual property or authorship rights belonging to students and the university.
The Vice-Chancellor of ABU, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, signed the agreement on behalf of the university, while the Chairman of NAHCON, Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf, signed for the commission in the presence of senior officials from both institutions, including members of the university management and the leadership of the Hajj Institute of Nigeria.
