Yemisi Izuora
The Director General, Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Mrs Cecilia Gayya, has urged various Management Development Institutes (MDIs) across West African countries to build partnership among themselves with view purpose of developing human capital for the growth of their country’s economy.
Gayya who is also the first Vice President of the West African Management Development Institutes Network (WAMDEVIN) stated this at the opening ceremony of the ‘Train the Trainers’ course organized by WAMDEVIN Management Development Institute (MDI) West Africa sub region in Lagos.
She said that the MDIs have a responsibility to provide quality assurance in human capital building through training research and consultancy in various countries adding that the the programme should open up forum for more collaboration, cooperation and partnership among various staff of MDIs to enable each member institute derive the benefit of networking.
She said: “We owe the West African Government this much and we need to work collaboratively with one another in order to effectively discharge our duties to governments and citizens across the region. It is when all MDIs perform and make very meaningful contribution to governance that we can collectively justify our existence and our relevance.”
WAMDEVIN Executive Secretary, Dr. Samuel Kolawole Olowe, said that public service different countries are expected to provide advisory support to the government and render quality service to the public, stressing that public service needs to be continuously strengthened in terms of its human and institutional capacity among others.
He said that the service needs officers with strong analytical skills capable of responding promptly to macro-economic and administrative issues as well as providing practical solutions to problems encountered in the different sectors of the national life.
He said: “MDIs are central to any hope we have we have of using capability development strategies to transform the instruments of the state into effective, efficient, innovative and responsive agents for economic and social transformation.
“This Train-The-Trainers course is therefore organized to charge the intellectual batteries of those who are engaged in the business of strengthening the human and institutional capacities of government of their countries. I would therefore, like to stress that you have been carefully selected by your MDIs is to ensure that you acquire relevant knowledge, skills and attitudes that will enable you to discharge your duties as trainers more efficiently and effectively.”