BUSINESS TRANSFORMING AFRICA CONFERENCE: SKILLS FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH

DATE; 24TH FEBRUARY, 2017

VENUE; HYATT REGENCY, DAR-ES-SALAAM

GUEST OF HONOUR; ANNA MAKINDA- Former speaker of the parliament

MODERATOR; CatherinRose Baretto

EXPERT SPEAKERS:

• Kayonde Adauje- HR Manager East Africa, HEINEKEN Africa & Middle East.

• Joseph Sheffu- Country Managing Partner- EY

• Myles Hopkins- HR Advisory Consultant, AMSCO

Attendants

• Business Leaders

• HR Directors/managers

• AMSCO Partners and stakeholders

• Development Finance Institutions

• Government

Start: Aimed: 14:00hrs Exact: 14: 44hr

WELCOMING REMARKS: THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF EMPLOYMENT AND YOUTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Hon. ANTHONY MAVUNDE

Hon. Anthony Mavunde acknowledged that the government is upgrading the skills and the structure of the labor force, encouraging organizations to enhance skills for the economic growth. Also pointed out that

• AMSCO should expand the scope of the project (Business Transforming Africa Conference).

• For sustainable growth we need to include the majority population, the population that face poverty in reality

• Facilitating graduates in various levels to undertake internship which will make it easy to build their careers.

• To enhance recognition and certification of courses in schools to break the bridge between skills from school and the working demand.

• Stakeholders should collaborate with the government to achieve the targets of development.

.FORMER SPEAKER OF THE PARLIAMENT, Hon.ANNA MAKINDA: GUEST OF HONOR

The former speaker of the house avowed that it’s the responsibility of all of us to build the country by taking action and put our system in place. Some of the pillars that are needed to develop our organizations are strength and coordination of different activities, and decisions that are made in time. “In this era keep on learning new different skills keep on with the changes, learning can be done while working, things like workshops and conferences can help in earning and sharing new experiences most businesses fail because we do not learn new skills”- Anna Makinda .

 The guest of honor Continued and affirmed that we should not depend on one person in running a business, giving example in this case; most family business fail to proceed after the only person in charge of controlling the business dies, we should all work together in developing/controlling business avoiding business-failure crisis. It’s about time all of us learn new ideas and work on our businesses together without depending on one person.

In the concluding remarks the guest of honor pointed out;

• A lot of dishonest, fraud leads to organization damage hence it should be strictly avoided.

• Alongside the government and public sectors private sectors has played a crucial role in developing the economy of the country (TANZANIA).

• There is a gap of skills from school and the working demand, one of the major challenges that should be abolished.

• Lack of resources has been the major reason for seizing of activities in the enterprises.

Ambassador Jan Berteling; Achievements of ATMS

Analysing the development of AMSCO since it was established in 1989 under UNDP Ambassador Jan Berteling acknowledged; generally AMSCO has changed for the better growing value of clients to 65%, establishing offices and gaining staff from Europe, South America, India and Africa, working with a thousand enterprises in Africa and training over two thousand (2000) individuals.

Jan Berteling insisted that AMSCO has played a big role in changing Africa, saying Africa is not the same as it was 27 years ago when AMSCO commenced. “Africa has changed because UNDP has changed, AMSCO has changed, the decision has been made that the organization has to change”- Jan Berteling

“With the change that has to be discussed today there is a lot of work that has to be done to enhance change in the organization that leads to change in Africa”- Jan Berteling

 Kayonde Adeuja, Value Based Recruitment, Can it go too far?

Kayonde Adeuja affirmed that what matters as an organization is having the right people at the right place.

From the lecture video

In value based recruitment these are things should b looked upon; what are your values what is your purpose, what is your passion but then creating values and purpose takes time.

In an organization one of the ways that can be used to discover the value based recruitment is by creating a recruitment methodology that will unleash more than skills possessed.

By practicing the value based recruitment leads to more successful business “ if you love what you do i.e your job it becomes easy to develop in what you do”

Mr Adeuje pointed out that Value Based Recruitment is a connection of employees’ values and employers/organization’s values. Also knowing the values of your candidates in an organization is an important aspect towards a successful company.

“Value based recruitment is the key to reducing a bad hire”- Kayode Adeuje

Knowing The Organization Values-Kayode Adeuje

There are three types of values core-values that it’s a must for any organization to have and act as a guide, aspiration values; these are the values that an organization has to posses or aspire to have, permission to play values; required within the organization giving the example of Heineken require to produce a drink that’s pleasurable. In these three values do we know our values do we live the values in developing the organization?

Mr. Adeuje continues outlining the four major elements that should be highly considered when conducting recruitment which are Skills, Experience, Aptitude and culture fit. He explains that applicant may not have the experience but have the talent born with “the aptitude”, skills can be learnt but aptitude can’t it’s born with if you have it you have it you don’t you don’t.

In the Value based recruitment characteristics consider behavior as very important, then he asks we are going to do what we love or just to earn a living? It is hard to develop a sustainable organization while working with people that have no passion on what they do.

“You can have people with similar experience, similar skills but different behavior”- Kayode Adeujo.

He points out techniques that can be used in value based recruitment which are the star technique in an interview, the disc system which can help knowing applicants that being recruited

Technical and leadership requirement;

Mr Adeuje reveals that bringing a person that is individualistic in an organization that is team working based it will affect the system of the organization.

In technical and leadership recruitment he affirmed that; in the recruitment mostly we focus on the technical skills but if they’re going to manage other people we are supposed to focus on their leadership skills, the approach must be customized according to different levels; you cannot recruit a CEO the way you recruit technical workers.

Observe, pay attention and adapt. “Never, we as Africans swallow everything, we must think and go through everything before making it our thing that is the major secret behind developed organizations and businesses”- Kayode Adeuja.

“OBSERVE, PAY ATTENTION AND ADAPT”-Kayode Adeuje

PANEL DISCUSSION ON VALUE BASED RECRUITMENT (VBR)

SPEAKERS;

Branko Ng’ija

Fred Mwita

Partrick Foya

Kayode Adeuja

Malen Muya

 Branko Ng’ija; stated that one of the most important aspect in a business is the human capital also agreed that value based recruitment should be considered in recruiting workers and a great tool but do we know the values and walk the talk?. In answering the question “how does he review the values and how their lived in his company” , Mr Ngi’ja stated that Consistent Assessment and reward as two of the techniques used to ensure the values are followed and lived.

Consistent Assesment:

A set of competencies that match the values telling the workers this behavior will drawback the company then ask how they live the values generally assessing workers on how the live the values.

Reward:

Reward positive behavior not employee of the year but rewarding worker on a particular good behavior at a particular work this can also enhance other workers to live the values.

Fred Mwita; Said, getting the best from the company is knowing where you have failed, giving example of a question he likes to use in his interviews “what is your disaster in your working life?” because from the disaster you can get the best of you. Also Mr.Mwita insisted on lack of diversity being one of the major problems saying that people are very narrow minded. As a job seeker or a job applicant you should have something unique to sell to employers; employers are looking for something unique.

On answering a question that “ how the fresh college students seeking for jobs are competitive enough to face the employment competition Globally?” he stated as a country government sectors and private sectors do we create an inviting working environment to make an employee crave to go to his/her working place?

“We need different ways and methodologies to get best talent in the industry” – Fred Mwita

Partrick Foya; described value based recruitment as a combination of value based recruitment and the technical side of the organization.

 Giving example of Airtel that came up with three values; Alive which refers to being active, Inclusive- which supports the team work, do not do everything yourself take opinions from others and work together, Respectful- to respect you and others (AIR). He also stated he prefers people who are creative and innovative.

In answering the question on how did Airtel as the company came up with the three values Alive, Inclusive and Respectful (AIR) Mr Foya stated; “In determining what aspiration the company has the company came down with the three values that aspire the company as a whole”. In answering how these values are implemented he said get people to absorb and live the values by asking what they understand from the values that the company works on.

Kayoda Adeuja; explained on the approach in giving workers fresh from colleges a good environment in their working places, answering the earlier posed question which stated “ how the fresh college students seeking for jobs are competitive enough to face the employment competition Globally?” he said the African environment of schools is still poor and the education system giving the example of college students not being able to make a simple presentation and expecting them to face the global education and employment competition and advised that the African college system should change to produce competitive workers in the industry. Don’t mould me stretch me, let’s stretch our youths.

“DON’T MOULD ME, STRETCH ME”- Kayonde Adeuja

Malen Muya; posed a question first, do we have the recruitment tools? How do we identify values and competency? He insisted that the core-values the only values to bring fruitful recruitment, we should not look on to values only but also competencies.

Employee training, “Cost or Investment” by Joseph Sheffu.(Assessing the ROI of training)

Mr. Sheffu posed a question first whether the human capital has enhanced the economic development, saying in times of adversity the first area that suffers budget cuts is training.

In explaining the myth of personnel development he acknowledged that personnel development creates a win-win environment between personnel, managers and owners, it develops the organization as a whole. Also pointed out

• Spending money in training workers will make them more useful.

• Spending money in training personnel example: internships.

• Employees attitude on using you own resources, what you do to yourself as an employee to developing you as an individual, you fully responsible of developing your career.

• Ensure that your talent management and development planning is linked to your longer term business strategy.

• There is aneed to develop leadership skills.

• Personnel Development makes a good business sense.

• Increasing productivity

• Opportunity for career development

• It’s always about recruiting the right people

• An organization cannot develop without enforcement from the top management of the organization.

He continues; who understands better the need of the management in an organization turns out that the staff themselves understands their needs, also skill are needed for future strategies

Skills for future strategies; Here one of the strategies is knowledge management, to be able to capture and preserve the knowledge for future leaders in the company also pointed out that aspects that can be used to measure ROI includes the behavioral aspects

PANEL DISCUSSION ON COST OR INVESTMENT OF ASSESSING (ROI) OF TRAINING

SPEAKERS;

Elizabeth Mwafagasi

Charles Washoma

Wikus van Vuuren

Terry Ramadhani

Joseph Sheffu

Elizabeth Mwafagasi; On answering the question on how to deal and train the millenials she recommended that the strategies should change how to conduct the trainings, trainers should be engaged via social media instead of opposing the use of social media let’s train by using social media and get benefits of using social media where this era(millenials) revolves in it. The leadership needs to be trained on how to treat the millenials, what kind of conversations with them; if they have expectations do you meet their expectations as their manager?

On explaining the challenges faced in trainings Mrs Mwafagasi give an example of a training she conducted where 80% of the trainees had no clue why they where there for the training, what skills they are trying to get most of them where there because they were told to and didn’t know the purpose as the result you spend a lot of time as a trainer to explain to them their own aim. Had to conduct a quick survey with the participants.

Charles Washoma; explained on the power of interactive leadership, the motivating factor in finding a working place is an employer investing on an organization, he continues by conclusion made from different problems in his company he says it turns out people don’t apply their mind in finding the solution of problems and adds up that people don’t live the values from home in their working places. “The locally value system is very interactive”- Charles Washoma.

Wikus van Vuuren stated align values if you want to measure what you get from the training, how do we provide the training? On the minnial training discussion he affirmed that we should start thinking on how we are recruiting applicants in this new generation. How do we get the benefit from the intensive training stating on emphasizing the use of e-learning we should get information from the internet and use it well.

On answering the question “besides focusing on the millenials how do I engage older people and people with no clue with the internet in e-learning what should I do in my organization?” he answered “ If you want to introduce e-learning in an organization make sure it’s structured, give them the format what you require them to learn make sure what’s learnt is relevant”- Wikus van Vureen

Terry Ramadhani; suggests on the change on how to treat the millenials advising to reframe the mentality of using phones at work instead of limiting but then the millennials can be more interested in using phones that may change our working environment.

But she reminds that reflective practice is very value adding where it cannot be delivered by online learning, practical wisdom as a way of life means watching people do things, if you don’t see it happening how do you learn in this she raises awareness of the difficulties of women exchanging capabilities and capacities via watching and listening giving an example that men will go out and have a beer listen to who got what but women rarely do that and women who get to join men are looked upon differently by this she suggests creation of opportunity for the Women to gain capability from Men or fellow women may be by organizing events that make them share capacities and capabilities.

On answering the question “what should I do not to lose the workers that I have invested on to bigger organization because mine is a small business but i invested on them?” she says having genuinely honest conversation with the employee what they need will help.

Joseph Sheffu; started out by posing a question do the leadership understand dynamics? How to manage an organization changes generation to generation but he insists on cultural issues if we allow some of these millenials issues giving example workers plugging earphones while working or serving a customer or allow workers to grow dreadlocks will the clients be okay with that and will it drawback the organization development or not?

Contributing on e-learning platform he avowed that e-learning culture in the training should not be ignored giving out ways the organization can use in conducting e-learning he suggested information overload should be avoided to help the staff also guide them on the appropriate courses that will suit them for skills development.

Importance of analyzing HR Data by Myles Hopkins

Giving out the importance of HR Data in an organization he poses two questions; What’s the biggest operational cost in your business? It’s the people and what’s the area of your business that you least understand? It’s the people drawing back to the importance of the human capital. He reminds having the right people at the right place doing the right thing at the right time maters.

“It’s quite difficult for the HR Data to be 100% correct”- Myles Hopkins.

How HR Data earn us a place at a table? In answering this question he pointed out

• HR analytic links business objectives to people strategies

• Improve performance

• Changing expectations of HR Leadership, it can determine whether the organization is getting what it visualized or not which will help in the working strategies.

• Visualize to analyze; potential

CLOSING REMARKS; MANAGING DIRECTOR HR ADVISORY AMSCO, WIKUS Van VUREEN

In the closing remarks Mr. Vureen covered major issues in developing business in Africa, stated that we need to make agriculture sustainable for Africa and the rest of the world, it’s okay to expand our business outside Africa but let’s sustain Africa first. Also talks on the use of resources and turn sustainable for the economic growth in this he reminds that we need technical skills to use our resources.

Starting by comparing Africa and other continents he says Africa has a young population which is a serious opportunity, this young generation is active it should be used well to develop business in Africa.

“Nobody can do this alone, we can do it together with the government, public sectors and the private sectors”- Wikus Van Vureen

Closed; 20:00 hrs

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AMSCO- Africa Management Services Company

AMTS-African Training and Management Services

VBR-Value Based Recruitment

ROI- Return on Investment

UNDP- United Nations Development Programme

Prepared by Evelyn E. Barongo