Development manpower training

The evaluation covered the period through 5/86 and was based on a thorough document review and interviews with concerned personnel. Considerable progress has been made in CENACOF"s institutional development, in training trainers, and in developing a cadre of Zairian managers. However, serious weaknesses in CENACOF"s management, including financial management, urgently require action and correction. Given these corrections, a project extension is recommended. A total of 17 recommendations from the attached evaluation address measures needed to help CENACOF achieve organizational and financial viability and to strengthen its program of training, research, evaluation, and consultancies; USAID/Z"s comments on the recommendations are included. Action decisions address CENACOF"s needs to: strengthen financial management; ensure strong leadership; agree on salary increases for employees; obtain a fixed legal status, preferably as a nonprofit foundation acting in the public interest; formulate a staff training plan; hire more staff (if budgetary considerations allow) and local consultants; evaluate its training of trainers in management program; conduct studies and consultancies to determine the training and development needs of government agencies and other development organizations; and determine modalities for providing training for PVO"s.