For more than 30 years, ABE has continued to build management excellence across Africa

Association of Business Executives (ABE) has designed flexible, affordable and progressive business and management qualifications for over 30 years.  Founded by politicians, educationalists and businessmen in 1973, ABE today has students, members and colleges in over 70 countries worldwide.

ABE has an extensive presence throughout Africa, with representatives in Botswana, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

It has also funded a Chair for African Business Development, along with a Research Assistant, in conjunction with Leeds Metropolitan University. These posts are based in Africa rather than in Leeds, to underline ABE’s commitment to the continent’s development from within.

ReConnect Africa spoke to Lyndon Jones, Founder Chairman of ABE. Lyndon has over 50 years’ experience in the education sector, and even now makes several trips to Africa each year.

RCA:    What was the inspiration for setting up the ABE?

In the 1960s, I was surprised at how little management education and training was carried out both in the UK and around the world. When the British Institute of Management gave its membership by election, not examination, I felt duty bound to set up ABE so that we could build a strong base for management development.

My time in management education has taught me the importance of doing the right thing, rather than doing a thing right. Excellence is demonstrated by doing the right thing right.

RCA:    What is different about the qualifications that ABE offers?

ABE qualifications are not about management, they are for management. In other words, the skills that we teach our students will be used from day one in their jobs. Additionally, ABE programmes do not take students down a narrow path of business and management study. Our programmes offer students the skills to build a solid foundation in business and management, after which time they can specialise in one of our four fields – Business Administration, Business Information Systems, Travel, Tourism and Hospitality or Human Resource Management.

RCA:    Your organisation is a global one with a strong presence in Africa.  How do your qualifications reflect the different business norms that pertain around the world?

For the very reason that ABE has students and members in so many countries around the world, we have to ensure that our qualifications remain free from cultural ‘fingerprints’. Our programmes offer students skillsets that will be relevant anywhere in the world.

Doreena Sophie - Private candidate, Mauritius “I started the ABE Diploma in Business Administration in 2005, by which time I was already in full-time employment. The Business Administration course is very comprehensive and helps me lot in my day-to-day work. It also helps me to understand better my organisation and take into account human factors. My preferred subject in Diploma part one was Organisational Behaviour because my vision of the organisation has changed, as has the way I advise colleagues when they encounter difficulties. I also found the unit in Business Law very useful since much of my work is related to the making of contracts. This unit gave me a clearer understating of the technical terms being used. ABE's study materials (which are available online) often help me in better understanding the subjects and revising for exams. When I receive Student Focus, I usually go through the magazine as the examiners' study tips offer good guidance on how exams should be approached. Completing the ABE Diploma and Advanced Diploma will be my passport to a better job.”

RCA:    The current ABE President is Dr Edward de Bono, a leading authority on lateral thinking.  How have his views on management influenced the direction or strategy of ABE?

We know that Dr de Bono’s views on management encourage people to look at problems from a different angle. Dr de Bono stresses that thinking should be a deliberate act rather than a reactive one. In the same way, ABE programmes provide students with the skills to be proactive and clear-minded in business and management situations. On a more prosaic level, we are delighted that Dr de Bono is a contributor to our Business Executive journal

RCA:    The issue of accreditation is critical when it comes to qualifications.  What accreditation do ABE qualifications offer?

As a global provider of qualifications, ABE understands the value of quality benchmarks. ABE has accreditation from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) the UK regulator of UK qualifications. Having QCA accreditation demonstrates a commitment to upholding the highest standards, year in, year out.
But it is not just about UK recognition. ABE works closely with similar quality-focused bodies in Africa, such as the Tertiary Education Council (TEC) in Botswana, the Namibian Qualifications Authority (NQA) and the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) in Zambia, Malawi and Mauritius.

RCA: What impact do ABE qualifications make in terms of actual business and management skills in the workplace?

As mentioned already, people with ABE qualifications are ‘work-ready’. This means that they can make an impact in the workplace from day one, because they have been taught how to apply their knowledge. We have many case studies from students who tell us about their promotions (note the plural!) as a result of their ABE studies. Some people have even been promoted during their studies, such has been the impact of what they have learned.

Winston Michael Kuti-George - Banjul, The Gambia “I realised the value of my ABE qualification when I studied for a diploma for insurance managers. The units that appeared in the ABE Diploma gave me an excellent knowledge base, and the ability to handle the heavy workload of the institute. The skills that my ABE studies gave me enabled me to win several awards at the end of the insurance course. ABE has given me a sound footing for further professional development. I feel that with an ABE qualification, you can perform in any department of an organisation. It is an ideal qualification for young students looking for a career, people in industry wanting to improve their skills and employers wanting to develop their workforce.”

RCA:    Your vision is to be recognised as the qualification of choice for aspiring business professionals.  How would you measure your success to date in achieving this vision?

We can be relatively satisfied with the progress achieved so far, but the day when we think our work is done is the day when we know we have taken our eye off the ball.

Registrations have grown rapidly across Africa, even in large existing markets. We have also broken in to new markets including places where some professional bodies do not go (Somaliland).

We are committed to giving students the best opportunity to achieve their potential, and we have increased the number of universities with whom we have agreements. These agreements give our students entry to the final year of degrees in the UK, and a range of other countries including Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Namibia and the USA.

We have also taken steps to work more closely with employers. Our marketing team has been researching the employers that ABE students end up with and there are some very, very impressive ones. These have gone into our new employer guide, which shows all sizes of business the benefits ABE qualification holders can bring to them.

For further information about Association of Business Exec.

How the Association of African Business School is working to raise the standard of Africa’s Business Schools.

When it comes to business and management education, with one or two notable exceptions, Africa still has some way to go to rival the business schools of Europe and North America. Established in 2005, the African Association of Business Schools (AABS) is on a mission to promote excellence in business and management education in Africa by supporting graduate business schools through capacity building, collaboration and quality improvement.

International Accreditation

AABS is a membership based association which serves and promotes the collective interests of its members, which include business schools based in Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Kenya and South Africa. By interfacing with other global and regional business school associations, AABS advocates management education and training needs across Africa. Under the Chairmanship of Nick Binedell Director of the Gordon Institute Business Sciences (GIBS) in South Africa, the Association’s members are working together to develop their business schools and to provide the kinds of management education and training programs their countries need.

Key to the AABS’s activities is helping members work towards accreditation by one of the internationally-recognized bodies that assess business schools. By linking schools so they can exchange staff, students and ideas and work jointly towards all-important international accreditations, the Association aims to raise standards around the continent.

ReConnect Africa spoke to Governing Board member, Professor Franklyn Manu, Professor of Marketing and International Business and Dean of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Business School in Accra, Ghana.

RCA: What role do business schools play in Africa today?

FM:  They play a variety of roles depending on the country. In general the focus is on general management education. A few schools are focused on executive training as well. The issue really is the value of the traditional role, especially at the undergraduate level. We are beginning to question whether the schools are doing a good enough job of preparing graduates to be managers. That is the gap in African development that business schools should be addressing. At the graduate level I have the impression that the schools are seeing the light and focusing on this issue. Unfortunately, there are two areas where business schools have not played a meaningful role: contributing effectively to public policy and generating managerially relevant research.

RCA: What are some of the challenges that Africa’s business schools face?

FM:  There are a number of challenges, for example, improving the resource base (qualified faculty, money and computers) and central administrations which have a hard time understanding what it takes to run an effective business school program. Other challenges are how to make the schools relevant to the business and government communities and to get them involved and also transforming curricula to make them relevant to African conditions.

RCA: Some of the AABS faculty recently visited a number of leading business schools in the UK and the USA as part of a global study visit to explore best practice amongst the schools and promote the AABS. What were the key lessons that this trip highlighted?

FM:  In terms of the study tour, I believe that what came out very clearly was the fact that the Business Schools we visited are very interested in collaborating with us to improve business education in Africa. They are also interested in enriching their own programs by incorporating some elements of an African perspective or experience particularly for their students.

RCA: What kind of faculty roles are member business schools seeking to fill and how can qualified applicants identify career opportunities?

FM:  We are all looking for faculty who can combine teaching, research and, in some cases, consulting. More importantly, they must be able to make all of this relevant to their particular environment. Africa will not be helped much by a focus on what exists in advanced countries. What we should be doing is looking at best practices elsewhere and exploiting them in Africa. This requires a new breed of faculty and faculty training. I believe AABS will do a good job of showing the career opportunities that exist in various institutions.

RCA: Is the AABS involved in any plans to utilize the skills of Africans in the Diaspora – whether long or short-term - to support the work of member business schools?

FM:  IIndividual schools have been doing this to a certain extent but we are now building a database of Africans in the Diaspora who are interested in collaborating with African business schools.

For further information about the work of the AABS: www.aabschools.com

When it comes to business and management training, the ABE (Association of Business Executives) qualification has come to be associated with all the hallmarks of quality and excellence. The organisation, now in its 34th year of operations, has launched new qualifications to keep abreast of the rapidly changing global marketplace.

ReConnect Africa takes a look at the recent developments in ABE and the impact of the organisation’s training on its ever increasing African intake.

2007 is proving an exciting year for ABE. ABE has launched its first QCA-accredited qualification in Business Management, as well as a new Marketing stream, and, with the updated and extended Human Resource Management stream, the Association has even more to offer its African market.

Association of Business Executives (ABE)

ABE is a not-for-profit awarding body and professional membership organisation which delivers high-quality business qualifications in Africa and around the world. As well as almost 40,000 members worldwide, a significant number of which come from African countries, the Association has over 500 accredited colleges worldwide and almost 40 agreements in place with Universities worldwide to accept ABE students onto degree and MBA courses.

The ABE mission is to enhance the intellectual, social and economic development of individuals and communities through the provision of relevant, high-quality, affordable qualifications. In this way, the organisation’s vision is to be recognised as the qualification of choice for aspiring business professionals.

ABE today has students, members and colleges in over 70 countries worldwide and has an extensive presence throughout Africa, with representatives in Botswana, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

New Course Streams

“ABE presents the first examinations in Business Management in December 2007,” says Steven Harris, ABE’s Director of Education. “The Business Management qualification supersedes the previous Business Administration qualification and represents the latest research and development from the world of business and education. Supported by the Management Standards Centre (the management standards setting body) and by QCA (the UK government regulator for standards in education), the qualification comes with the seal of approval from senior national organisations.”

ABE’s Marketing qualification was launched following requests from around the world. “Our first exams were held in June 2007,” says Harris, “and it is fully anticipated that this will become an important qualification route for those seeking to develop a career in this area or to pursue a specialist area of interest within Business Management.”

A key new course stream is the Association’s Financial Management programme. As Harris explains, “the certificate level has been developed in partnership with IAB qualifications for business, and the Diploma and Advanced Diploma with the Institute of Financial Accountants (IFA), a highly respected financial education body with a distinguished history of maintaining rigorous standards in this field.”

At the Certificate stage, many of the subjects are common to all of ABE’s streams. This enables students to use ABE programmes flexibly and will help them to decide in which field of management they wish to specialise. After completion of the Advanced Diploma in any stream, those wishing to progress to a first degree or MBA have the opportunity to do so on degree programmes at many universities worldwide. A further option is to study by distance learning for the final year of a first degree or an MBA. Over the next 12 months, ABE intends to review the content of all its syllabuses to ensure that it continues to offer the latest and best in research and development.

ABE Africa Seminars

Africa represents a key market for ABE and during the past three years ABE has witnessed unprecedented growth in new registrations in African countries such as Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania.

The Association’s commitment to business education across the Continent is evident from the very top. During September 2007, ABE Founder/Chairman, Lyndon Jones, is taking part in a series of visits around the Africa. Accompanied by Dr Penelope Hood from Anglia Ruskin University, Jones will be visiting Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique and holding seminars in Gaborone, Blantyre, and Lusaka. The seminars are intended to update accredited colleges within these countries on the latest developments at ABE.

A visit is also planned to Maputo in Mozambique where, accompanied by Professor Jack Makhaza from the Share World Open University in Malawi, Lyndon Jones will be seeking potential new colleges to add to ABE’s portfolio.

ABE in Africa

Botswana offers an example of a country where ABE has established firm roots. The Association of Business Executives programmes were first offered in Botswana in the early 1990’s by the Academy of Business Management, Professional Training Centre and the Gaborone Institute of Professional Studies (GIPS).

ABE tuition centres in Botswana are BOTA-registered (Botswana Training Authority) a pre-requisite today for any institution wishing to be accredited by the ABE to run its programmes. ABE stringent requirements for accreditation provide ample assurance that ABE centres operate within a well-regulated and closely monitored framework.

John Shaw, an ABE examiner who recently visited ABE accredited colleges in The Gambia, commends the professionalism and dedication of the staff, and the keenness of the students to learn how to improve in their ABE examinations.

“At every College, I spent time with staff, answering their questions and telling them about the changes and additions to the ABE programme. The lecturers I met are all very enthusiastic about ABE, and keen to hear about how our recent QCA accreditation will benefit them and their students too,” he said.

Flexibility and Affordability

ABE programmes offer significant advantages. These include university progression, giving entry to the second and final years of Bachelors degree programme at universities around the world. With relevant work experience students can fast track to an MBA. Within an affordable fee structure, the ABE qualification offers a quicker route to a degree, while the qualifications give students the skills to make a difference in the workplace, from communication to strategy.

The qualifications are globally recognised and ABE is recognised as an awarding body by QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority), an important stamp of quality in the UK. ABE have exemption arrangements with other professional bodies including ACCA, CIMA and BCS, saving students time and accrediting their learning. ABE students can study on a full-time or part-time basis and can join a local college, choose the distance learning option, or opt for self study.

For further information about ABE and details of ABE qualifications: www.abeuk.com