Africa needs partnerships

Citation

(2006), "Africa needs partnerships", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 55 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijppm.2006.07955eab.006

Africa needs partnerships

National productivity organisations (NPO) have been advised to network with the private sector for the enhance productivity.

LCM consultants’, managing director, Joseph Lisindi emphasised the need to engage the private sector, at a capacity building seminar in Gaborone.

The meeting that brought together representatives of NPOs and stakeholders from southern and eastern Africa reflected on challenges and opportunities that face Africa in areas of productivity and quality management.

Lisindi regretted that the private and the public sectors were not on the same wavelength. “We have managed to sleep under the same roof but not in the same bed”. He said public sector should create an enabling environment while the private sector should be an engine of growth.

For instance, he said NPOs could use the private sector in consultancy services and lamented that the Botswana National Productivity Centre (BNPC) was struggling to infiltrate the private sector though it had been in operation for sometime.

Cheikh Sow from the New Partnership for Africas Development (NEPAD) Secretariat said the organisation assisted African countries in capacity building by setting the development agenda.

He said though there were challenges in developing capacity in Africa, NEPAD could contribute significantly in the financial sector reform, public resource management and trade reforms.

Earlier, BNPC Executive Director, who is also the President of Pan African Productivity Association (PAPA), Thembo Lebang, said his organisation has collaborated with the Commonwealth Secretariat to promote productivity, knowledge and skills.

In addition, according to Lebang, the two parties agreed to focus attention on building capacity of NPOs in southern and eastern Africa as well to establish other NPOs.