The Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs have commenced plans to train civil servants across the country on project management skills.
This was disclosed when the Institute’s Registrar General and Chief Executive Officer, Henry Mbadiwe led his team to confer on the Minister, Zaphaniah Jisalo and the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Onwusoro Ihemelandu, fellow awards of the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria at the Ministry headquarters on Wednesday in Abuja.
Speaking shortly after the conferment, the Permanent Secretary, who spoke in the absence of the Minister, said the training will equip civil servants well and place them in good standing by enhancing their capacity in project management and delivery.
“We can do project management upscaling across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria but starting from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
“The Permanent Secretaries at the Federal and state levels will be the first beneficiaries of the CIPMN training, followed by Directors, then every civil servant across the 774 local governments of Nigeria.
“For us in the Ministry, we are inter-governmental, so, in our engagement with our sub-nationals, which are states and local governments, we will try to carry the Institute along in our conferences and stakeholders’ engagements.
The Permanent Secretary further urged the council to convene a stakeholders’ forum to bring MDAs on board, noting that some of the major challenges facing the system include inadequate expertise in project costing and the volatility of the naira.
“Given my background in service, which is active in project management, in quotes, you need to know the structure, how it is conceptualised, monitored, evaluated, and how to close down a project. Within a project, too, you need to know how to cost a project.
“Most of the problem we have is the cost management of a team project due to the volatile nature of Nigeria today, it could be one Naira, tomorrow ten Naira.
“Then, what about the quality assurance of materials used in any project? Be it bakery, be it textiles, among others.
He further called for more collaboration with Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and other stakeholders.
“There is a need for sensitisation which cuts across key stakeholders like the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria, Bureau of Public Procurement, among other strategic partners, to achieve the desired results.
“There is also a need for you to organise a stakeholders forum where you will invite everybody to announce what we do, so that everybody will come on board and understand what the mandates of CIPMN are.
Earlier, the CIPMN Registrar General and Chief Executive Officer, Henry Mbadiwe, said the institute is out to ensure that its mandates are carried out for the overall good of the country.
He said the conferment of the award signifies the beginning of a relationship and partnership to push project management practices in Nigeria as well as to support the mandates of the institute towards ensuring that project management is properly regulated in Nigeria.
“By the presentation of this award, you are taking up that unique position to drive project management in Nigeria and to ensure that project management in this ministry and Nigeria remain at the foremost of your thinking in delivering of any national initiative in this country and to work collaboratively with CIPMN to ensure that its mandates are being carried out effectively and in accordance to the renewed hope agenda of this country,” Mbadiwe said.
