Project implementation key in regions

A group of middle managers from various regional and local authorities attended the first module of the “Middle Management Programme for Regional and Local Government” at the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM) in Windhoek from 5 to 16 March, with the aim of achieving “democratic decentralisation”.
The middle management development programme is a high profile NIPAM initiative which will support middle managers in regional and local authorities as they face up to challenges of providing services to their citizens. The programme aims at supporting innovation and searches for alternative ways of improving service delivery among middle managers by providing them with technical and transformational competencies required for local challenges. The first module is a pre-requirement for the further five modules.
Keib Stefanus, deputy director of human resources at the Omaheke Regional Council, says he found  the course highly recommendable.
“It is an excellent course! I am especially impressed with the project implementation part. As participants we learn how to identify important projects in our own working environment, and then we are assisted with know-how when these are implemented. I can recommend the course to all potential delegates; you are certainly not wasting your time with this one! My opinion is that you cannot afford not to enrol. It requires a lot of work and input by the participants, but the hands-on knowledge you gain is great. Projects we do as part of the course work will certainly help me in my day to day work,” said Stefanus.
During 2008 and 2010, a training needs analysis was undertaken at regional and local government level in order to define essential needs of senior and middle managers. A custom-made management development course was put together, merging international expertise, best practise, the requirements of Vision 2030 and local development needs with indigenous know-how. Ciedel, a training provider in France, largely contributed towards the course development. The co-operation is based on a memorandum of understanding signed between NIPAM and Ciedel.
To ensure learning, each module will be evaluated in various phases. Participants are required to develop a realistic project based on the local requirements of their office and then implement this under guidance and moderation of the course leader. This approach ensures that concepts learnt during the workshop are applied immediately when participants return to the office. The objective is to facilitate autonomous, sustainable development in Namibia’s regions.