Role_of_Management_Development_Institute_in_Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION For over a hundred years now, during which period science and technology has been revolutionizing all aspect of human life and experience, modern management has not only gone through a series of metamorphosis but it has also played a strategic role in that resolution. The continuous process of identifying human needs and wants and applying human knowledge and skills in converting available resources or raw materials into what is required to satisfy the felt needs and wants of each society has been made possible only through the art and science of managerial and entrepreneurial leadership and improved technology. It can be said that the major distinctive characteristic between the have and the have-not of the world today lies in their relative capabilities to develop and utilize their human and non human resources, without improvement in this area of art and science of development and management of resources the country will fall in the category of the world have-not. The need for managers cannot be over emphasized; the views of the most national and international leaders and experts are that a major cause of the retarded progress of most under-developed countries of which Nigeria is one is under-development of managerial capabilities in a very broad sense. Manager in this sense includes all who are responsible for setting organizational objective and getting these accomplished through other people at all levels of the organization. It therefore includes education, trainer, professional engineers, scientists, technologists and technicians who supervise the work of other sub-ordinates within their organizational hierarchy. The present situation in most developing countries of the world is that capacity of their managers to create orderliness among the members of each collectivity of human beings pursuing private or public objectives and effectively directing the group towards the attainment of a designated objective is yet very low. The demand of this managerial function becomes more difficult as the collectivity managed gets larger and more complex. Therefore in the face of rapid development and expansion of size and technology of the public and private organizations in many less developed countries, the under-developed managerial capability of most leaders has been stretched beyond limits. This quality must be up-graded. Every government of these less developed countries like Nigeria has therefore accepted the responsibility for overcoming the obstacle of poor management within its domain, in Nigeria there are three bodies involved with the capacity building in the country; a) The Universities charged with the responsibility of providing education b) Management Development Institutes - providing training. c) Research Institutions - conducting studies or investigations Government has set up a number of management development institutes MDIs to better train mangers and accelerates development in all sector of the economy, some of which are; 1. CIBN – Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria 2. ICAN – The Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria 3. NIM - Nigerian Institute of Management 4. CIPM – Chartered Institute of Personnel Management 5. CMD – Center for Management Development 6. ITF – Industrial Trust Fund etc. MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE IN NIGERIA Management Development Institutes (MDIs) is primarily concerned with production of managers who can formulate as well as translate government policies effectively, efficiently and economically. Generally Management Development Institute provides the following services: i) Managerial Development (long term progress that assist managers learn how to function better. ii) Managerial Training (short term progress that help managers do their jobs better. iii) Organizational development (systematic approach that assists individuals, groups or the whole organization to improve operation. In addition to providing training be it on the job training, training-the-trainer, training of women or training of entrepreneur, management development institute conducts research into problem of management and administration. Similarly, management development institutes offers consultancy services in the area say, identification of training needs. Managerial development institute provides consultancy on issues bordering on policy, organization and procedures. Management development institutes also provide advisory services to both the public sector and the private sector of the economy. The set up of the various Management Development Institutes is geared towards rapid development in the country in the area of; a) The real sector development b) Fiscal operation and policy development c) Balance payment d) Monetary and exchange rate policies implementation For the purpose of this write-up we shall be looking at the contributions of some of these MDIs in the managerial development in Nigeria 1. ICAN (The Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria) The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) created by an Act of Parliament No. 15 of September 1, 1965 is to Produce World-Class Chartered Accountants, Regulate and Continuously Enhance Their Ethical Standards and Technical Competence in the Public Interest. The objects and duties of the Institute as laid down in section 1 (1) of the Act, are: (a) “Determining what standards of knowledge and skill are to be attained by persons seeking to become members of the accountancy profession and raising those standards from time to time as circumstances may permit; (b) securing in accordance with the provisions of the Act, the establishment and maintenance of registers of Fellows, Associates and Registered Accountants entitled to practice as accountants and auditors and publishing from time to time lists of those persons; and (c) Performing through the Council under this Act the functions conferred on it by the Act.” Activities of ICAN as an Institute The job of the Chartered Accountant has become more sophisticated because of the vast growth in the Nigerian economy in the last decade and complexity of the modern business organizations. The modern day Chartered Accountant for instance, not only expresses an opinion on the accuracy and fairness of financial statements, but also does management advisory services, etc. In many cases, he is called upon to serve the nation as a member of a special investigation panel. In performing these functions, he requires the assistance of trained and able accounting technicians. Registered students of the Institute are required to successfully complete the professional and technical examinations before they become members, thereby enhancing the quality of Accountant in Nigeria ICAN Membership The idea of an induction ceremony for new members was conceived in 1988 and it is to formally admit members into the accountancy profession. Admission to membership as a Chartered Accountant, in pursuance of Section 8(1)(a) of the Act, can be obtained by serving a specific period under articles or approved studentship and by passing the Institutes professional examinations. The ceremony is designed to inculcate in the new members the ideals of the accountancy profession. It also affords the new members the opportunity to meet and interact with the Founding Father and Senior members of the Institute. The event is usually a two-day affair. The first day is mainly for Paper presentations and discussions on ethics and standards of etiquette whilst the second day is a ceremonial one when the membership certificates are presented to the new members. The Induction ceremony is mandatory for all the new Members. It is held twice a year in May and November. Annual seminar on the Nation's Budget The Institute organizes seminars to analyze the National Budget and other government measures which have financial implications for the public. It also prepares position papers on financial matters for the consideration of the government. Furthermore, every year the Institute organizes seminars on topical issues. This is to enable members upgrade their knowledge and keep abreast of current information on these issues. Example is the National Workshop on Vision 2010 Program. 2. CMD (Center for Management Development) The Centre for Management Development (CMD) is a resource institution established by Decree 51 of 1976 as the operational arm of the Nigerian Council for Management Development. The Federal Executive Council, in line with the Federal Government’s policy on rationalization of the Public Service, approved the merger of the Centre with the National Centre for Economic Management and Administration (NCEMA). Following this, NCEMA was shut down and all its activities transferred to CMD. Specifically, the Centre pursues one of its roles of capacity building by: Identifying the type and quantity of programmes required for the country’s managerial manpower; developing resources for management teaching, training and consultancy; building institutions to meet the need of national development; improving the quality and enhancing the use of management consulting, research and training; serving primarily as a training centre for economic planners, policy analysts, budget and project officers at the federal, state and local government levels; developing and strengthening specific skills that will enhance the quality of management of the national economy at the macro and sectoral levels; and being a policy laboratory for vigorous and sustained development and promotion of highly specialized skills required for enhancing efficient and effective planning and management of the Nigerian economy among others. In addition to these mandates, the Centre undertakes the management development component of small-scale industries development through the design and provision of suitable training packages for small-scale industrialists and officials of federal/state agencies, which have responsibilities for developing small-scale industries in the economy. FUNCTIONS OF CMD The functions of the CMD which are spelt out in Section 16 of the Decree include: 1. The provision for the Council background information and other technical data necessary for the Council’s policy-making and coordinating functions; 2. Provision of management advisory and consultancy services to Nigeria enterprises; 3. Establishment and maintenance of an up-to-date library for management studies; 4. Publication of journals, research papers and books on modern management and supervisory techniques; and The sponsoring, promoting and conduct of research into all aspects of management and allied subjects in relation to the Nigeria situation. In addition to these functions, the Federal Government, from time to time, gave additional responsibilities to the centre. For example, in 1977, the Federal Executive Council directed the Centre to assist in the development of small-scale Industrial sub-sector of the economy through the design and provision of suitable training packages for small-scale industries in the nation. Also in the fourth National Development Plan, 1981-85, the Government directed the Centre to place greater emphasis on designing programmes aimed at improving the performance of parastatals whose management problems seem to be quite serious. 3. CIBN (Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria) The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) is the umbrella professional body for bankers in Nigeria. It was established in 1973 as the Nigerian Institute of Bankers and Chartered in 1990 (now Act 5 of 2007). The Principal Responsibilities and Membership of CIBN These include the determination of the standards of knowledge and skills to be attained by persons seeking to become members of the banking profession, conducting professional examinations leading to the award of certificates and ensuring the furtherance , maintenance and observation of ethical standards and professionalism among practitioners of the banking profession in Nigeria. The Institute has corporate and individual members. Corporate members are: The Central Bank of Nigeria, The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, all Deposit Money Banks, Development Banks, Mortgage Banks, Micro Finance Banks and Discount Houses. Vision and Mission of CIBN To be a world class Institute in Banking and Finance Education, Ethics and Professionalism. To consolidate and sustain its position as the Self-Regulatory Professional Body in Nigeria promoting Banking and Finance Education, Ethics and Professionalism consistent with global practices. CURRENT ISSUES IN CAPACITY BUILDING IN NIGERIA The public service remains the pillar with which government actualizes its policies. This is done through capacity building, which is the sole jurisdiction of Management Development Institutes. Capacity building can be viewed from institutional as well as individual/human perspective. Institutional capacity building entails strengthening of the organizational structures processes, which facilitate the achievement of developmental goals and objectives of that organization. The individual/ human capacity building entails stocking an organization with trained, skilled and productive individuals capable of performing the essential tasks necessary for the achievement of the goals and objectives of the organization. In a nutshell we can deduce that capacity building entails development of a workforce through the acquisition of technical, administrative and managerial effectiveness, efficiency and economy in the overall performance of the organization. In fact, capacity building entails investment in human, capital institutional and practices to enhance corporate performance. Capacity building is undertaken through any or the combination of the following: • On-the-job training • Off-the-job training • Formal apprenticeship • Rotation among series of job • Job enlargement or enrichment programmes • Correspondence courses, etc. The Management Development Institutes (MDIs) face series of problems in Nigeria. These problems are associated with the ongoing liberalization and deregulation of training. Such problems include: a.) Capacity building is now the affairs of anybody who tags himself as a consultant. In most cases roadside consultants win big assignments from the government agencies, thereby leaving the MDIs at disadvantage. b.) All institutions (universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, management development institutes, and professional bodies) partake in all kinds of training (within and outside their mandate). In fact, it is now the rule rather than an exception. c.) Training officers now have turned into consultants conducting on-the-job training, short duration training, and long duration training and so on. d.) Significant insufficient funding of MDIs, which has multiplier negative effects such as lack of qualified staff, modern equipment and so on. e.) Well-trained staff being redundant as most jobs have been awarded to “convenient-consultants”. f.) Proliferation of capacity building institutions. g.) Lack of proper monitoring and evaluation of training programmes h.) Lack of coordination between the MDIs and the organizations on capacity building. i.) Politicization of capacity building. j.) Unnecessary conflicts between the bureaucrats and the politicians. k.) MDIs professional staffs have turned into consultancy beggars/chasers. l.) As the result of chasing consultancy MDIs professional staffs hardly update their skills knowledge and expertise. m.) Government agencies call for proposals from MDIs and later give the assignment to the “convenient consultants” to carry out. THE WAYS FORWARD In order to actualize government’s vision of reforming the nation’s socio-politico economic environment there is the need to have public service that is capable of translating government visions into practice. This can only be done through institutional as well as human capacity building conducted by accredited institutions that have the expertise to train. In this respect the following suggestions are proffered: a.) promulgate human resource development policy/legislation b.) Career progression in the public service should be tied to specific nature and number of training attained in designated MDIs. c.) emphasize on local rather than foreign training d.) rationalize/segment training to relevant training institutions e.) provide the enabling environment for the designated training institutions f.) create forum where management and training institutions interact g.) All institutions involved in the training consultancy should have their distinctive mandate like was recently done for universities (degrees awarding); polytechnics (diploma awarding). In other words, training institutions such as ASCON, CMD and others should be provided with distinct statutory responsibilities. References. 1. Afolabi I. (1991:41) Monetary Economics Inner way publications Lagos 2. Sambo B.I. (1997) Myths and Realities About Economic Research in Nigeria, Kano: Kano State Polytechnic Press. 3. www.cmdonline.org 4. www.cibng.org 5. www.ican-ngr.org 6. CBN Journal 58 AJPAM Vol. XVI, No. 1 • January 2005 7. Benjamin J. Inyang (2004) Management Theory Principles and Practice. 8. Benjamin J. Inyang (2004) Corporate Planning and Policy Concept and Application.