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Nqobile Tshili, [email protected]

ZIMBABWE’S ambitious journey towards an upper-middle-income economy hinges on massive infrastructure development projects. To ensure these projects deliver the most value for every dollar spent, the Government is prioritising the upskilling of its project managers.

The Second Republic’s focus on infrastructure has seen the construction of roads, dams, clinics and other crucial social amenities. However, concerns about project quality have arisen, with instances of shoddy work prompting the Government to demand rework from contractors.

In a pro-active move, the Public Service Commission (PSC) partnered with the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (Esami) to equip senior Government project managers with the skills for successful project monitoring. Esami, a continental governance body with a presence in Zimbabwe and several other African countries, brings a wealth of regional expertise to the table.

The training, held at Elangani Training Centre in Bulawayo on Friday, highlighted the need for advanced project management skills. Lynda Ndudzo, a senior human resources officer from the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, highlighted the timeliness of the training, given the Government’s ramped-up development efforts.

“This course has been very informative and enlightening. It is in line with the National Development Strategy 1, which prioritises human capital development for the development of the country. This is exactly what has been happening here with us as project managers from different ministries, agencies and departments. We are being capacitated to be better project managers. This will enable us to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate projects in various areas,” said Ndudzo.

She said the Government’s ramped-up construction of infrastructure and amenities necessitates skilled project managers to ensure the country gets value for money.

“We have witnessed a significant number of successful projects being implemented by the Second Republic, which have been improving people’s livelihoods. We have seen dam construction across the country, we have witnessed road rehabilitation projects that are ongoing.

“As these developments take place, there is a need for experts to be engaged in planning of projects, we need people who are qualified hence the training on project management. There has to be constant monitoring of projects and after sometime there is going to be some evaluation. If there is some shoddy job done then measures should be taken,” she said.

Chief Meteorologist with the Ministry of Environment and Climate, Patrick Kunguta, attributed past project failures mainly to improper management. He stressed that the Project Management training will equip participants to be more discerning when assessing ongoing projects, ultimately advancing the country’s development agenda.

“The programme will also help project managers to achieve the goals of NDS-1 and also achieve the Vision of His Excellency, Dr Mnangagwa. Some of the gaps were in the way of planning of the project and some in the initial stages of the project. You will find that projects would be agreed upon by someone else who has no knowledge of how to run a project,” he said.

Esami Zimbabwe country director, Martha Gapa said that project management is a key skill, especially for countries undertaking development projects.

“We have a lot of projects that have come up. In terms of the skills that are needed to manage the projects, there have been some gaps. We believe this training is important to address those gaps and to ensure that there is success in the implementation of those projects,” said Gapa.

“We have directors, deputy directors and officials who are involved in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of these projects.”

She said the training revealed gaps in project implementation, where communities are sometimes side-lined. “This lack of community involvement can hinder a project’s long-term success despite its potential benefits”. @nqotshili.