CHILIMA TAKES A TOUGH STAND ON REFORMS

Vice President Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima has challenged the Institute of People Management in Malawi to embrace Government’s public sector reforms as a way of increasing productivity at all levels of the country’s economy.

Chilima said human resource is one single biggest competitive advantage that an organisation let alone government could have to help it in boosting the national economy.

“My advice to the institute of people management is adopt a business unusual approach by changing the mindset of workers from that being followers to doers of development,” Chilima challenged.

Chilima was speaking on Friday at Sunbird Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi when he opened a three day annual conference for the Institute of People management in Malawi (IPMM).

To this effect, Chilima said the public reform programme journey has maintained its momentum, saying the train has left the station and no one would stop it except picking willing passengers along the way.

Chilima said government realizes that people were the life line of any organisation as it was important for human resource manages to remain relevant and sustain human resource improvement and management.

On the other hand, Chilima said theme for the conference was calling on government, NGOs, the private sector and private individuals to reflect on how we together transform our different institutions to achieve meaningful and sustainable socio – economic development.

Chilima said since the launch of the reforms agenda by President Peter Mutharika on 11th February 2015 a number of achievements have been registered citing all pioneer ministries and department of E – Government continuing to implement the reform areas they signed for.

“Two more ministries: Lands, Housing and Urban Development and that of Industry and Trade have also come on board and there are various reforms that they are undertaking. The Green Belt Initiative has been turned into a company called GBI Holdings Ltd with anticipation to attract public – private – partnership and joint ventures,” Chilima said.

“A parliamentary committee on governance assurances extended its mandate to also oversee public service reforms and is now called Governance Assurances and Public Service Reforms Committee and the commission engaged various parastatals and made recommendations which the President approved and implementation is underway,” the Veep added.

President of IPMM Chrispin Chikwama said the institute was born as professional body whose major objective is to promote human resources management practices in the country. He disclosed that the institute was established in May 1984 as a Trust.

“As most of us gathered here would know, the institute was appointed by government to be a member of the African Association of Public Administration and Management Malawi Chapter,” Chikwama added.

Chikwama said the institute follows with keen interest government’s initiatives in the overall management of human capital in the country. He said in particular the institute is excited with the public sector reform programme which has since yielded positive results.

He confirmed that IPMM supports the public service reform programme because the initiative aims at ensuring that the public sector performs efficiently.

“Such performance is critical for proper utilization of public resources and delivery of public services. You’ll actually notice that the theme for the conference supports the initiative,” Chikwama said.

He, therefore, assured that as a professional body of people management practitioners the institute would actively participate in the activities of the reform.

Chikwama observed that the conference would provide a platform for a better understanding among professional human resource managers to manage people in their organisations by applying best practices which can spur production.

The three day workshop is under the theme: ‘HR transformation and innovation: the key to increased productivity at work.’ Mana