Quote:
Business institute at U-M to train Rwanda's government officials
Novel approach could be a model for Africa
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
BY MIKE RAMSEY
News Business Reporter
In Rwanda, a nation a dozen years removed from an infamous genocidal conflict, there's now hope for a government and economy that could be a model for other African nations.
Taking part in the rebuilding is the William Davidson Institute, located at the University of Michigan. The business research and training center dedicated to emerging economies has been contracted by Rwanda's president to help build a Western-style business school and train the country's top 100 ministers.
It's a novel approach by Rwanda and the institute, which normally deals with business leaders and entrepreneurs, not government officials. Robert Kennedy, the director of the institute, said he hopes the work in Rwanda will help build the economy there and lead to other projects.
"If you can get economic development and have capacity building, I believe you are less likely to have conflict,'' Kennedy said. "Another reason (this is a good opportunity) is that this provides very interesting opportunities, both professionally and for research.''
The administrators will go through three one-week courses focused on leadership, strategy and marketing, and accounting and finance. The institute also will help establish a curriculum and even teach courses at Rwanda's existing business school, which now has only rudimentary courses.
Kennedy said President Paul Kagame would like for the nation to become a center for education in Africa, a place where students can come to learn without having to travel to the U.S. for training.
"We want to make it a regionally recognized school,'' Kennedy said.
Rwanda had its first democratic elections in 2003, with Kagame being elected after he ascended to power in 2000. Kagame was a Tutsi leader in the war between that tribe and the ruling Hutus and was serving as the Minister of Defense before becoming president. The 1994 conflict left 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis, dead.
Kagame has a vision for Rwanda to be a professionally run government in the mold of Singapore. The nation has already established a model program in fighting HIV/AIDS and has invested heavily in primary education.
The nonprofit Davidson Institute was established in 1992 by Guardian Industries founder William Davidson with the intent of researching and helping to promote growth in emerging market economies. Davidson also owns the NBA's Detroit Pistons and the Tampa Bay Lightning NHL hockey team.
While not part of the University of Michigan, it is housed in the business school and shares faculty and other resources.
Amy Gillett, who runs the institute's executive education program, said the curriculum for Rwanda has been specially crafted to meet the country's needs. Gillett coordinates as many as 20 executive education programs annually, teaching new skills to business people abroad.
"Every client has its own set of challenges and every country has a different business environment,'' she said.
The Rwanda program begins next week when organizational psychologist Robert Pasick begins teaching a group of 25 top-level bureaucrats leadership techniques.
He'll repeat the class to another group the following week and then come back later in the year to teach another 50 administrators.
"I think the biggest challenge is working with a government, which is something new for us,'' said Pasick, who normally acts as a leadership consultant to CEOs and entrepreneurs. "And this is the top ministers of the government, so the impact will be quite great on a lot of people.''
Pasick will be teaching from a short book designed for social service agencies on "how to go from being good to great.''
"This country has done a good job of going from a disaster to a pretty good government,'' he said. "I think this will be an appropriate book for them.''
Along with Pasick, professors from Texas A&M and Tufts University will be teaching the courses.
Later phases of the program may involve bringing in help from other University of Michigan schools, such as the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
Gillett said Kagame is putting a lot of emphasis on the training, even requesting that the ministers be tested on what they learn.
"I think it's important that it came from the president of Rwanda,'' she said. "This was hatched by the president, not something imported on to them from the outside.''
Mike Ramsey can be reached at
mramsey@annarbornews.com or 734-994-6864.
<i></i>
Login
FAQ
