Executive Secretary of West African Management Development Institutes Network (WAMDEVIN), Dr. Samuel Olowe, has deplored the dwindling funding of Management Development Institutes (MDIs) in West Africa.
He asked MDIs to think outside the box and ensure that they generated adequate resources to meet up with the ever increasing demands of their organisations.
Speaking at the end of a webinar for the Directors-General and chief executive officers of WAMDEVIN member- institutions in English-speaking West Africa, Olowe said the theme of the webinar: “Repositioning the Business of MDIs in the Contemporary Environment” had been carefully chosen to assist the MDIs to find ways of ensuring that their organisations were better positioned to navigate contemporary business environments through great innovation and creativity.
During the opening of the webinar, the Network’s President, Prof Alexander Yonly, who doubles as Director-General of Liberia Institute of Public Administration (LIPA), said it was imperative for MDIs to strategise to remain relevant in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous business environments.
In her paper, Director-General of the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Mrs Cecilia Umaru-Gayya, who is also the 1st Vice President of WAMDEVIN, urged MDIs to explore different ways of expanding their financial frontiers beyond training activities to meet their obligations.
A management consultant from the United Kingdom, Mrs. Patricia Erinfolami-Ivbijaro, highlighted various opportunities open to the MDIs. She implored the MDIs’ top echelons to seek other sources of funding for their MDIs in order to remain relevant in the modern business environment.
Prof. Gerald Kaiyeja from Uganda Management Institute delivered a paper on “Repositioning Strategies for MDIs Deliverables.”
He stressed the need for the MDIs to urgently consider enhancing the quality of their services and taking advantage of the opportunities in their environments to reposition themselves for exploit in the new business model.
At the end of the sessions, participants agreed that there should be a documentary of the achievements of the MDIs over the years in West Africa. This can be showcased to government of their respective countries to rekindle the hope of the different governments in the MDIs. This may also help to attract more funding for the MDIs.
Besides, they suggested that platforms that encourage partnership and collaboration among MDIs. This can be achieved through collaborations in research, publications, training of staff and other relevant areas.
The bodies further admonished that concerted efforts should be made towards sourcing and raising funds from the international donor agencies to sustain the MDIs activities and mandates.
Pressed further, the group advised that practitioners should device different ways of expanding their financial frontiers beyond training activities to meet up their obligations just as they noted that there should be exchange programme of staff among the MDIs should be encouraged.
This, they said can be achieved through sabbatical; mentoring, leave of absence and also allow for experience sharing and learning.
“Efforts by MDIs in professionalising the L & D profession in order to protect the field from the hands of quacks and portfolio consultants in their respective countries. WAMDEVIN should also assist the MDIs in their countries to achieve this feat.”