TheCable

A newly founded business school sited at the heart of Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos is poised to revolutionise how African founders, business executives, corporate leaders, and entrepreneurs think about on-the-job learning and professional education.

Situated in the highbrow of Lekki, James Hope Business School (JHBS), is opening to applicants ahead of January 2024 when it will be commencing its first cohort with a richly packaged executive MBA programme.

The unique offering at JHBS is to leverage a faculty comprising of both experts in academia and practicing business leaders to offer technology startups and entrepreneurs the opportunity to acquire the skills critical to scaling their operations.

More appealing is that the institution was started by one of Africa’s foremost entrepreneurs and an acclaimed godfather of banking to have actual business leaders teach practical strategies and address subsisting sentiments about the disconnect between classic MBA curriculum and the real needs of businesses.

Executive MBAs are generally tailored for professionals who have been managing their own companies or who are actively holding management positions at a firm. This is where JHBS comes in.

JHBS will follow a well-rounded curriculum that integrates academic work with extracurricular activities, with its core curriculum hinging on foundational management courses.

OTHER PROGRAMMES AT JHBS

As from September 2024, James Hope Post Graduate School will offer an MSc in Economic Development, Policy Analysis, Finance, Fintech & Analytics, Industrial Relations & Human Resource Management, and Innovation, Intrapreneurship, & Entrepreneurship.

Beyond degree programmes, the institution also offers specialised courses in such areas as “Sustainable Business Practices Model”, “Financing and Managing the Blue Economy”, and “Financial Management for Non-Finance Expert”.

Other short courses are “Financial Technology and Analytics”, “Budgeting under Conditions of Uncertainty”, and “Risk Management & Business Continuity”.

Also included are “Successful Management for Business Growth” and “Understanding the Contemporary Nigerian Market: The Connection between Marketers and Consumers”.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants to the M.Sc. and MBA programmes are required to possess an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university with outstanding academic records.

For admission to short courses or executive education programmes, applicants are required to visit the JHBS website.

Other required documents are official transcripts from all past academic institutions, a professional resume, a personal statement, and three professional recommendation letters.

ACCREDITATION STATUS

James Hope Business School is located in the Twin Lakes Estate in Lekki, an axis situated close to the Chevron Junction along the Lekki-Epe Expressway.

The school is listed in the National Universities Commission (NUC) database of accredited tertiary institutions, approved to offer postgraduate degrees in business courses.

The institution is a member of the Business Education Alliance, a member of the Business Graduate Association, and also a member of the Association of African Business Schools.

Speaking on the launch of JHBS, Jim Ovia, its founder and chancellor, said: “We are beneficiaries of quality higher education ourselves.

“We will create an environment that nurtures curiosity, fuels creativity, and fosters a lifelong learning.

“We believe in the transformative power of education and its ability to shape careers and character.”

To apply for a programme at JHBS, you can click HERE.

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

JHU and JHBS are both founded by Jim Ovia, CFR, a banker and Harvard alumnus, under his eponymous Jim Ovia Foundation (JHF).

Ovia doubles as the founder and chairman of Zenith Plc, one of Africa’s largest banks with over $24 billion in assets and shareholders’ funds of over US$3 billion as of June 2022.

Ovia is the author of “Africa Rise and Shine”, a biography published by Forbes Books. It covers Zenith Bank’s meteoric rise and details the secrets of Jim Ovia’s success as an African entrepreneur.

He is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School (OPM), University of Louisiana (MBA), and Southern University in Louisiana (B.Sc. Business Administration).

He is a member of the World Economic Forum (WEF) community of chairpersons as well as a champion of the Forum’s EDISON Alliance.

Ovia is extolled as one of the godfathers of banking in Nigeria. He is considered one of the country’s most influential business moguls.