Needs
2 September 2007
The African Management Development Institutes' Network (AMDIN) a Pan African
network of management development institutions (MDIs), including schools and
institutes of public administration and management met from 29 to 31 August in
Midrand, South Africa.
Gathered were Heads of Institutions and senior officials from 17 African
countries. They met as a network for the first Biennial Conference and General
Assembly, deliberating on the theme "MDIs, Developing Public Sector Capacity
for Africa's 21st Century Needs."
The conference was attended and supported by some of the most notable
development partners including the African Union Commission and representatives
from its programme New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, the Commonwealth
Secretariat, development agencies from the German and Japanese governments. The
Federal MDI in Brazil and the Civil Service College of Singapore were in
attendance, providing an international comparative dimension to the
conference.
The conference reiterated the importance of African MDIs in assisting with
developing appropriate public sector capacity to ensure rapidly pushing ahead
Africa's developmental agenda. It reiterated the important principles of
African ownership of the network and its programme of action; sharing of
resources, including expertise and knowledge, among African MDIs; and a quest
for continuous improvement and raising of performance standards in the interest
of securing human development on the African continent.
In an opening address to the conference, the Chairperson of the firth and
sixth Pan African Conferences of Ministers of Public/ Civil Service and
Minister of Public Service and Administration in South Africa, Geraldine Fraser
Moleketi stressed the importance of MDIs as strategic capacity development
agencies of public services across the continent and emphasised the
responsibility they therefore carry to transform the mindsets of public
servants. She went on to identify AMDIN as an important vehicle to assist in
developing the necessary capacity within the MDIs to fulfil their important
mandate, as they themselves are for a variety of reasons experiencing
phenomenal challenges.
Conference reminded itself of the fact that MDIs have a responsibility to
redefine their own relevance within their national, sub-regional and regional
contexts, if they are to respond to the capacity deficits that exist and
optimise their roles in the policy domain with respect to public
administration. Conference noted that such a responsive relationship should be
supported by governments nurturing their respective MDIs over a sustained
period.
Mindful of the fact that capacity development is a multifaceted and long
term agenda the conference recognised the interdependency between governments,
comprising both political and administrative functions on the one side and
their MDIs on the other.
Equally, within the contemporary context there exist important
interdependencies between the public, private sector as well as community
sectors. For the purpose of urgent capacity development in the public sector
the synergies, but also unique roles of MDIs and the universities should be
exploited.
Conference accepted the notion that success attracts and earns respect and
recognition. This is critical if MDIs are once again to be recognised as key
think tanks and role players in fundamental change processes that take place in
the public sector across the continent. AMDIN has a critical role to play in
addressing the deficiencies that exists in the African MDIs on institutional,
organisational and individual levels. With the assistance of AMDIN and within a
networked and constructive collective spirit, African MDIs will set out to
achieve a multifaceted and durable agenda to raise their own standards and set
continent-wide benchmarks to guide a process of continuous improvement. In this
respect the All Africa Public Service Charter should provide the backdrop
against which the standards discussion would be handled. The conference noted
as critical for the improvement of capacity of MDIs themselves the need for
quality leadership and management.
The conference was particularly mindful of the need for an adequate and
sustainable resource base, ensured by governments. The governments are in the
final analysis the most important buyers and beneficiaries of high performing
MDIs. Such a resource base would form a necessary part of a conducive policy
environment MDIs. However, such an environment would be much more encompassing,
if it also includes the formulation of comprehensive Human Resource Development
Strategies at national levels as well as the restoration of general trust,
support and recognition by governments as full-partners in the development
agenda. The conference observed that there is a need for governments to hold
MDIs accountable for resource allocation in relation to their basic
mandate.
The conference recognised that co-ordinating development partners around an
agenda driven by AMDIN for developing the capacity of MDIs, is a critical
success factor. Conference further agreed that MDIs are catalysts, individually
and collectively, for much of the programmatic activity supported by the donor
community. The conference appealed to the development partners to sustain and
further enlarge their support to AMDIN, both in terms of finance, but also
knowledge exchange and moral support.
Recognition was given to the fact that regional and international knowledge
networks exist that can contribute greatly in MDIs gaining critical and
fast-tracked capacity development to deal with the challenges MDIs face.
Conference therefore urged governments to support the participation of their
MDIs in such networks.
The conference was mindful of developments in information and communications
technology (ICT). Such developments provide the necessary platform for
improving on the scale and quality of the work of African MDIs. Using such
technology is the way to ensure the required results in a short period of time
as demanded by existing development goals.
The conference recognised that resources are but one important factor in
changing the performance of MDIs. Equally, if not more important, is the issue
of mindset and commitment. Conference requested MDIs to start paying attention
to this important factor and address it within their own ranks as well as
diffuse a new mindset into our African public sectors at large.
AMDIN used the conference to report on progress made with establishing the
network over the past two years. It also elected its second council for the
period 2007 to 2009, comprising of 12 regional representatives. Professor
Sheikh Abdullah, Director-General of the Administrative Staff College of
Nigeria (ASCON) was elected as Chairperson of the network for the next
term.
For further information contact:
Hanlie van Dyk-Robertson
Acting Chief Executive Officer
Cell: 082 922 3410
E-mail: amdin@samdi.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Public Service and Administration
2 September 2007
