The newly appointed Institute of Development Management (IDM) Regional Director Richard Malikongwa has unpacked milestones for the Institute for the next five years. He says his top priority is to establish a niche in their markets as they have identified opportunities and defined the focus areas.
In an interview with Sunday Standard, Malikongwa, who is also former Barclays Bank Botswana Human Resources Director, said as the Regional Director overseeing the organisation’s operations in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland (BLS), his role is to deliver on the strategic goals that have been set by the Board of Governors.
He stated that their responsiveness and ability to provide relevant products and services to their markets, especially governments in the 3 countries will define their potential and ability as a trusted service provider. He added that it is his objective to deliver innovative products that will address the needs on the ground.
“It is important that we have the right people on the right jobs to ensure efficiency and proper service delivery. Skills development is thus one of the vital things to look at,” said Malikongwa.
Malikongwa also believes that customers and stakeholders are the key to their success, adding that IDM will fulfil its objectives through targeted interventions in training, consultancy and research. He said the training that is offered at IDM responds to a specific niche in the market and henceforth the institution has not been severely affected by the cuts in generic training. He stated that they will however continue working closely with all their stakeholders to find alternative ways of operating under different situations.
“I have a strong conviction that the strategy we have developed will take us to where we need to be, and that is, to be the preferred service provider in our markets,” he said.
Malikongwa is of the view that being an institution with a strong local and regional presence, IDM has established long and lasting partnerships with the governments in the BLS countries. He said they have positioned themselves to understand the needs of their partners in order to develop appropriate interventions for them. He observed that what sets them apart from other institutions is that their product offering is not a one-size-fits-all, but targeted to respond to specific needs of their customers and clients. He also spoke of IDM as the only remaining Institute that was set up and owned by the tripartite governments (after University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland (UBLS).
“We have a great advantage of tapping into the skills and expertise from our three countries which enriches our products and services in a more diverse manner. Our Board of Governors comprises of seasoned experts from the tripartite countries and add immense value to the direction of the institution,” Malikongwa stated.
According to Malikongwa, consultancy and research is their growth area as there is high demand for their products and services. He added that notwithstanding, IDM has the capability and capacity to meet this challenge. He pointed out that their revised strategy has also given them the time to reflect and develop a relevant product proposition for their customers.
“The global economy is still struggling to recover from the effects of the financial crisis of the past decade. We are in the same situation as BLS countries. One of my main priorities is to help the Institute to be self-sustainable by 2021; and this requires the Institute to focus on innovation, business intelligence and competitive offerings that will enable it to efficiently and effectively run its operations,” he said.
