The Franco-Arab University in Istanbul, Turkey, in collaboration with the Franco-Arab African Council for Scientific Promotion, has conferred an Honorary Doctorate Degree on a Katsina-based philanthropist, Hajiya Hauwa Umar Radda, during the 2025 Scientific Conference titled “Islamic Studies and Cognitive Integration in Contemporary Context,” held from October 23 to 25, 2025.
Hikaya Newspaper reports that Hajiya Hauwa Umar Radda received the honour alongside eleven (11) other distinguished personalities from fourteen (14) member countries of the council. The awardees were selected based on their exceptional contributions to Islamic education, peacebuilding, security promotion, and social cohesion. Hajiya Hauwa was recognized particularly for her remarkable humanitarian and Islamic propagation efforts through her foundation, Mu’assasatul Khairiyya Foundation, which has become a symbol of compassion and community service.
The foundation is known for its feeding programs for the needy and vulnerable, support for internally displaced persons, and the construction of Islamiyya schools and mosques. It also provides copies of the Holy Qur’an, prayer mats, and kettles to Islamic institutions. In partnership with the HISBAH Board, the foundation has been actively involved in counseling and rehabilitating women engaged in prostitution, helping them reunite with their families and providing them with start-up capital to begin small businesses. The foundation also runs medical outreach programs and daily feeding initiatives for orphans and the less privileged.
While presenting the honorary degree, the President of the Franco-Arab African Council for Scientific Promotion, Professor Mohammed Abdul Jara, congratulated Hajiya Hauwa Umar Radda for her outstanding humanitarian achievements, noting that the selection process was thorough and merit-based. He added that the recognition serves as a great honour to Katsina State and Nigeria as a whole, as Hajiya Hauwa the elder sister of Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umar Radda, and widow of the late former President Umaru Musa Yar’adua continues to gain international recognition for her unwavering dedication to humanitarian and social development through the Mu’assasatul Khairiyya Foundation.