Support to regional organizations - ESAMI

ESAMI will implement the project. ESAMI staff will visit government officials and management training institutions in the Institute"s 15 new member countries to determine their perceptions of the need for management training and their ability to provide it (both as to type and quantity) and to identify and prioritize gaps in existing training programs. (This activity is not a manpower survey.) Resulting data will be integrated with other ESAMI data and synthesized into a comprehensive training assessment report on all ESAMI member countries, which now total 18. Two university-level specialists will help ESAMI develop a growing library of African case studies; 20 such studies, 10 each on administrative and agricultural management, will be completed during the project. Further, a methodology for teaching by case study will be taught to 8 ESAMI staff members and 12 graduate students. To obtain a multiplier effect from this activity, ESAMI will, subsequent to the project, present courses using this methodology to member country representatives. ESAMI will also work to develop linkages with U.S., Asian, and other African management institutions. ESAMI staff members will visit these institutions to establish professional relations, identify strengths/weaknesses and areas for specialization, and develop methods of communication in regard to training, research, consultancy, organization, and administration. Linkages with U.S. institutions - principally with the U.S. Department of Agriculture"s Office of International Cooperation and Development (OICD) - will be geared toward strengthening ESAMI"s capabilities in agricultural planning and management; OICD staff will help ESAMI develop and present selected agricultural courses. Possible U.S. support in computer science, software development, and management/entrepreneurial training will also be explored.