By: David Shoombe
In the heart of the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM) lecture hall stands a senior business strategist and trainer with 40 years of experience, implementing the Prime Minister’s vision to train local authority councillors and management teams.
Christine Nesongano has done her work with pride and patience to ensure that local authority leaders owned their strategic plans and understood the impact in implementing the local economic development agenda.
Speaking to The Villager Newspaper, Nesongano said that following the Prime Minister’s order to mobilise resources and support for local authorities, NIPAM had conducted a survey to assess the needs of local authorities.
The survey revealed that the needs were strategic planning, annual planning and performance management.
She noted that their five-day training programme goes beyond assisting local authority leaders develop strategic plans, as it also equips them with the skills to operationalise those plans.
The program also requires local authorities to sign and commit to implementing their strategic plans.
Nesongano added that the training adopts a practical, hands-on approach rather than relying solely on lectures, allowing councillors and management teams to actively participate in developing their own strategic plans.
The five-day course includes village council leaders, senior officials, and heads of technical services from various local authorities, including the Gobabis Municipality, Bethanie Village Council, Keetmanshoop Municipality, Berseba Village Council, Maltahöhe Village Council, and Aroab Village Council.
Political analyst Sakaria Johannes indicated that ongoing training involving both councillors and management promotes harmony and enables political leaders and technocrats to better understand their respective roles, which will improve the delivery of services to their communities.
Johannes added that local authority leaders do not necessarily need to hold PhDs.
Instead, practical training, such as that provided by NIPAM, equips them with a hands-on approach, enabling them to effectively deliver on their development ambitions.
