RATIONALE FOR THE CREATION OF THE MDI

INTRODUCTION

CURRENT MISSION STATEMENT

TRAINING ACTIVITIES:  1994 TO-DATE

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

RESEARCH

HUMAN RESOURCE CAPACITY

CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

The establishment of the Management Development Institute (MDI) by an act of Parliament, Act No. 13 of May 1982 was prompted by three basic concerns: 

(1)               Rapid deterioration in standards of efficiency, productivity and ethics in the public service; 

(2)               The need to develop the skills and competencies of Gambian managers in core management areas; and 

(3)        Acute concern over slow project implementation as a result of limited absorptive capacity.

In a nutshell, the MDI Act sought:

(a)         To train Gambians to develop managerial skills and competencies in the planning and implementation of development programmes;

  (b)           To promote administrative effectiveness and efficiency; and

(c)          To address the challenges of a dynamic economy through the vehicles of training, research and consultancy services.

More specifically, the Act stipulated that the Institute should:

-                 Initiate and develop programmes for the training of different categories of public servants in the fields of:

·        General Management;

·        Project Management;

·        Accounting and Financial Management; and

·        Other core management areas. 

The Institute was also expected to:

(i)               Examine and identify areas of mal-administration, ineffective managerial methods and to propose productivity improvement measures;

(ii)              Undertake studies, research and consultancy services for Government and the private sector; and finally to

(iii)             Organise seminars, workshops and international conferences and provide facilities for the development of a documentation centre. Top

 CURRENT MISSION STATEMENT

From 1994 to the present, the MDI is guided by a Mission Statement which emphasises that the Institute should:-

(i)          Create awareness and promote management and administrative ethics, efficiency and effectiveness within the context of Vision 2020 and the Economic Management and Capacity Building Programme;

(ii)       Enhance management and administrative development by offering training, research, consultancy, library and documentation services to Government agencies, public enterprises, the private sector and non-governmental organisations;

 (iii)       Serve as a centre of excellence in management.

 MDI:  1994 – 2004 – A DECADE OF ACHIEVEMENTS

A dominant concern of the MDI Board of Governors and its Management has, during this period, consistently been the imperative need to ensure that in all its stages of growth, the Institute remained alive and responsive to the changing needs of Government and other client organisations.  New initiatives and perspectives in socio-economic development policies and strategies consequently have always had considerable influence on the planning, development and structure of the training programmes and other activities of the Institute.

A one-day Conference on The Future Role of MDI held in at the beginning of the last decade brought together stakeholders from Government, donor agencies and the private sector.  The MDI was seen as an apex institution for management development, the centre stage in the implementation of the newly launched Economic Management Capacity Building Programme (EMCBP).  The Conference provided the opportunity to examine MDI’s existing mandate and capabilities as well as other options and issues that at the time, impacted on its new and expanded mandate.  

The combined results of the conference, a subsequent senior staff retreat and a training needs survey of the private sector funded by USAID, provided direction for the Institute’s new thrust of activities which were based on two major strategies:

(i)           The expansion of the training programmes to meet the training human power development needs of the Government and the private sector.  In 1993, the Institute had only four departments/programmes.  These were:

(1)       The General Management & Policy Analysis Programme

(2)       The Project Management Programme

(3)       The Financial Management & Accounting Programme

(4)       The Women in Development Programme.

 In 1994, two new programmes/departments were added so that the following six programmes are what we now have at the MDI:

1)         The General Management & Policy Analysis Programme

2)         The Economic Management & Private Sector Development Programme

3)         The Computer Studies Programme

4)         The Financial Management & Accounting Programme

5)                 The Gender & Management Programme

6)                 The Research & Consultancy Programme

 The Library and Documentation Department was strengthened to continue to support the training and research functions of the Institute.

(ii)              The second strategy was the development and increase of the Institute’s infrastructure, equipment and other facilities to accommodate the increase of the training programmes. 

In 1993, the Institute had very limited infrastructure.  It comprised:  One administrative block and four classrooms, one of which served as the Institute’s library, one lounge, one cafeteria, a kitchen, a storekeeper’s office, a printing room and an incomplete auditorium.  There was a generator room which housed the 35 KVA generator.

However, during the period under review, the Institute’s infrastructure has immensely increased as a result of support from the World Bank and the Institute’s own resources.  The following infrastrutural and logistical developments were registered in MDI during the period 1994 to-date:

-      The construction of a two storey (15) fifteen classroom block, which includes two large Computer Labs, two staff offices, a set of toilets and an audio visual room.  The two Computer Labs are capable of lodging 30 computers each;

-    The construction of a two-storey library and documentation block and an annex comprising a large Reading Room and two staff offices.  This has given adequate space to the library as well as to other academic activities;  

-         Provision of adequate furniture for staff offices, classroom and library buildings.  All classrooms have been equipped with enough desks, chairs and blackboards.  Teaching aids are also procured for the use of trainers to enhance the teaching and learning environment;

-      Provision of state of the art computer equipment for the Computer/Information Technology Unit and staff offices is another great achievement.  These were kindly made available under the EMCBP of the UNDP; 

-       Due to the inadequate capacity of the old 35 KVA generator that was inherited from the first phase, a 150 KVA standby generator was purchased and installed to enable classes to go on uninterrupted during power failures;

 -       There is a Local Area Network (LAN) in operation in the Institute and it enables computers in all sections of the Institute to be connected to each other.  All computers are connected to the internet and staff have access to the net throughout the day;

 -       A new telephone system has been installed with 6 direct     lines and 20 extensions in staff offices including the typing pool, the library, the computer laboratory and senior staff offices;

-         Four new vehicles, including a 4 x 4 and a mini bus were    purchased during the period to address the transport needs of the ever expanding Institute; 

-           Eight steel benches were strategically placed in the lawns around the compound to provide seating for students/visitors; 

-           A new Mosque with a capacity of 100 worshippers was built and consecrated in 1999 to replace the open air make-shift praying grounds which have been impossible to use during the rains;

-           The drive-way to the campus was macadamised in 1998 to make it an all-weather facility and prevent ponding during the rainy season;

-     The Institute gets yearly facelifts of plastering and painting;

-           The location and layout of the MDI is ideal.  The Institute’s grounds are well tended and there is reserve land available for expansion.  The classrooms are well furnished and the  two computer laboratories are well equipped;

-           The library building is spacious and suitably located to efficiently serve the requirements of a management training institution.  With EMCBP financial support, a library catalogue computerization project was executed in 2002 with the technical support of IDEP, Dakar.

The expansion in physical infrastructure has really put the Institute on a sound footing and there is now more room for new intakes due to the additional classrooms. Top

 TRAINING ACTIVITIES:  1994 TO-DATE

An examination of the nature of the programmes implemented during this period reveals:

(i)                  that strong emphasis is placed on private sector training while maintaining training of Government personnel;

(ii)                    An introduction of a host of innovative courses of particular

interest, e.g., Strategic Planning, Education Administration,  Business Management, Managerial courses for Army, Immigration and Police Officers, high level Accounting courses such as the ACCA and CCNA/Cisco courses. The period under review also saw the introduction of two 9 month long Diploma Courses in Management Studies and Gender and Development respectively.  The latter courses target school leavers as well as Government, private sector and also NGO staff engaged in development work.

Diploma in Management Programme. 2001 Graduates

Senior Army Officers Management Course:  March 1995

From 1994 to-date, a total number of 471 courses (see table below) were run by the Institute as opposed to 181 over the period 1982 to 1992.  The increase in the number of courses came as a result of the effort of the Government, the Board and the Management of the Institute to fulfil the new role of the Institute as envisaged by the One Day Conference and to expand the scope of training beyond civil service cycles targeting the staff of NGO and private sector organisations.  The Management ensured that as much as possible, the courses offered by the Institute addressed the changes imposed by the administrative and economic reforms of the Government as well as the new training needs of the private sector.

1994-2004

The Act establishing the Institute envisaged subsequent changes in programme structure to accommodate changes in economic policy and development priorities.  Consequently, MDI Management has periodically developed new and additional courses for all sectors, designed to address new challenges and priorities.

The Management of the Institute is also fully alive to the imperative need for periodic review and evaluation of programmes for relevance and quality assurance.  This is an on-going process.  Top

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

In the area of external relations, MDI is an active member of both the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD) Executive Committee and of the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM).  MDI played a leading role in the development of the Charter for the Public Service in Africa which was adopted in Windhoek, Namibia in 2001 by the Pan African Ministers of Civil Service in Africa and subsequently by both the UN General Assembly and the ECOWAS Council of Ministers.  It has, in close collaboration with the Personnel Management Office, co-hosted on behalf of Government, several international workshops and conferences.  These include a Win-Win Policy Analysis Workshop in 1999, Performance Measurement and Enhancement Workshop in May 2003, the 25^th AAPAM Roundtable Conference held on 19^th – 23^rd April 2004. 

Historic Visit of Director General of UNESCO, Frederico Mayor - February 1998

Performance Measurement and Enhancement in the Public Sector – May 2003

MDI has an institutional linkage arrangement (through a Memorandum Of Understanding) with the Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP) of the United Nations Organisation based in Dakar through which MDI benefits from staff and institutional development.

In close collaboration with the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) Lusaka, Zambia, and the Department of State for Youth and Sports, the MDI is running a Diploma Programme in ‘Youth In Development Work’ in The Gambia.  The main objective of this programme is to provide flexible and accessible learning opportunities for young women and men who are involved in youth development activities.  It is delivered through distance education and as such seeks to initiate and develop non-traditional  methodologies to enhance cost-effectiveness and wider access to training in The Gambia.

In the process of the establishment and development of the University of The Gambia, the MDI Director General took an active part.  Having served in the Commission as well as the Implementation Task Force for the Establishment of the University of The Gambia, she sat in the Governing Board of the University Extention Programme (UEP) between 1995-2000 and is a current member of both the Senate and Governing Council of the University of The Gambia.   MDI has been used as a resource centre by the UEP and continues to provide classroom professional support and library facilities to the University of The Gambia. Top 

RESEARCH

Activity in this field has been very limited and has been severely restricted by lack of suitable staff with the requisite qualifications and experience.  Two volunteers from APSO and the UN served in the unit for limited periods and tried to develop modalities and methodologies for research, but their impact was limited as a result of the unavailability of suitably trained counterparts to follow-up and develop their initiatives.  Limited research is nevertheless undertaken by staff in the development of training materials and in the identification and analysis of training needs.  The periodic publication of the MDI newsletter, launched in 1998 has equally stimulated interest in organised research.  A major achievement in the field of research has been in the collection and analysis of valuable information (thorough questionnaires, interviews and discussions) on Gambian Women In Top Management.  The exercise has been completed and the publication funded by EMCBP was formally launched by the Vice President, Mrs. Isatou Njie-Saidy, in August 2000.   The Report entitled Women In Top Management in The Gambia is now available in libraries and bookstores in The Gambia and beyond.  

This publication provides valuable and instructive insights and lessons on issues and concerns of significant importance to the public service of the Gambia and have certainly enriched the training materials of management courses in the Institute.        

CONSULTANCIES

The period under review also saw a significant increase in the number of consultancies undertaken by the Institute.  (17) seventeen impressive assignments in different key areas have been successfully executed for public, private sector and NGO organisations.  These were:

In addition to these consultancies, the staff of the Institute made significant contributions in studies, report preparation and other activities related to the following exercises:

-      Teacher Education & Training in The Gambia

-      Preparation of the Code of Conduct for Civil Servants        

-     Provision of Policy & Technical Advisory Services for Implementation

       of the Administrative Reform Programme. Top

HUMAN RESOURCE CAPACITY  

The first evident constraint that has to be urgently addressed is the issue  of staff attrition that the MDI has witnessed in the last few years and the acute need to attract additional highly qualified and experienced professional staff.  For a variety of reasons, it is difficult to attract and retain qualified and competent Gambian staff into the training and teaching profession.  Training is not held in high esteem in our social culture; it lacks the glamour and prestige that administrative positions in the public service and private sector offer.  Those who leave have joined the private sector organisations particularly the banking sector where conditions of service are more attractive. Staff attrition has sometimes hampered the Institute’s capacity to organise numerous training, research and consultancy activities.

The core professional staff strength of the MDI is ten, nine of whom are Gambians.  These ten professionals are responsible for the development, coordination and implementation of seven programme areas with several courses delivered in the year. These numbers include the Director General and her Deputy who, whilst having heavy administrative duties, also undertake programme coordination and lectures in courses.  Given that the institution is the only training outfit for Government programmes, is enough to render this number of core professionals inadequate, whilst the MDI also undertakes training programmes for the private sector and the NGO as well as consultancies for all manner of institutions.

Though small, the MDI has a highly competent and qualitative core professional staff as is always evident from the results of evaluation of courses undertaken at the end of each course. Top

CONCLUSION

From the above, it is clear that the Institute’s programmes from 1994 to-date have consistently metamorphosised in response to the training challenges of the times.  There is genuine commitment to address the needs of emerging Government socio-economic strategies.  MDI has expanded its mandate during their period to introduce long-duration (some of them externally accredited) courses leading to professional qualifications – substantially developing professional capacity in the Gambia, whilst at the same time, augmenting the revenue base of the Institute reducing its dependence of the Government subvention.  

In view of MDI’s current initiative to diversity and the need to make the Institute more responsive to new training, research and consultancy needs of Gambian public and private sectors, the Capacity Building for Economic Management Programme (CBEMP) is currently supporting an institutional renewal programme to restructure and build up on viable programmes.  This, it is believed, would bring about self sustenance and strong institutional capacity building capabilities.  This initiative will be jointly implemented by the PMO and the MDI and it is hoped that in the next year or two, MDI will be a major centre of management development servicing not only the needs of the Gambia’s Public and Private Sectors but also having a regional attraction and significance in public sector reform and governance activities.  Top