UNFPA Africa Regional Director Bunmi Makinwa affirms the new partnership with Prof. David Abdulai, President and CEO of the African Graduate School of Management and Leadership.
A new strategic partnership was concluded in Johannesburg this week between UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, and the African Graduate School of Management and Leadership based in Accra.
UNFPA Africa Regional Director, Bunmi Makinwa and Professor David Abdulai, President and Chief Executive Officer of the School, signed a Letter of Understanding at UNFPA’s Regional Offices in Johannesburg on 1 August. The African Graduate School of Management and Leadership will support UNFPA with management and leadership training. The global and regional partnership will benefit UNFPA and ultimately, its beneficiaries, in the 46 countries of Africa covered by the Regional Office.
This is the second such partnership that the UNFPA Africa Regional Office has established with leading academic institutions in recent months. Mr. Makinwa earlier signed a cooperation agreement with Stellenbosch University, in South Africa.
 Prof. Abdulai signs the Letter of Understanding in th presence of Mr. Makinwa and Dr. Reginald Chima (standing). |
Mr. Makinwa thanked Dr. Abdullai for the collaborative agreement. “This will help develop the capacity of UNFPA staff,” he said. “We thank you for your generosity of ideas and for wanting to share your skills and experience. You are giving back to the people of Africa by teaching and also by employing people, as one of the biggest problems we have on this continent is the lack of employment.”
Dr. Abdullai, who until recently was CEO of the University of South Africa’s School of Business Leadership, said his institution, which is newly established, was looking forward to a fruitful relationship that aids the capacity building of UNFPA. “Good leaders and managers are able to create change on the continent. With effective leadership you begin to see development,” he said.
The partnership will focus on coaching, group learning and retreats, said Dr. Reginald Chima, Regional Adviser in Monitoring & Evaluation. Top notch leaders and managers will be used to provide these services within the framework of an agreed work plan.
