BNPC to host the SADC- Regional Productivity Centre
03-06-2010
By: Ramakoba Motlaloso
Southern African Development Community(SADC) and its cooperating partners have selected the Botswana Productivity Centre( BNPC) to host the SADC- Regional Productivity Organization (RPO) in Botswana. To realize the project, which includes among other activities, drafting legal and financial modalities of the new entity, the BNPC has formed a task team headed by Mr. Teedzani Majaule, Productivity and Quality Manager to be the project team leader.
BNPC Public Relations Executive, Mr. Stryker Motlaloso told the Gazette that a task the team has set April 20, 2010 as the deadline for it to submit a draft work plan to SADC. The draft work plan is to be discussed at the April 29, 2010 meeting for SADC Ministers and Social Partners.
“We are excited at the offer because it shows SADC’s confidence in the BNPC’s competencies and our ability to host such a prestigious professional outfit. Therefore, the BNPC is the region’s Centre of excellence for Productivity”, said Motlaloso.
The SADC- RPO is envisaged to be region’s secretariat on productivity. It is to be housed by the BNPC and headed by a Secretary General and a lean secretariat staff charged with the responsibility for the main roles and functions such as coordinator, catalyst and facilitator. The BNPC is expected to provide the necessary technical expertise for hosting the Secretariat.
Amongst its functions, the Secretariat is to:
1. Prepare, based on the needs identified through the Committee of Heads of NPOs, needs identification exercises and studies and other related activities, the rolling five- year plan of the SADC programme and budget plans, as well as the detailed annul plan of the SADC-RPO; submit them to the Governing body for approval; and provide annual reports on the activities of the organisation;
2. Undertake research and studies, in cooperation with individual NPO or group of NPOs, on key issues relevant to the productivity movement of the SADC Region;
3. Continuously collect and disseminate, through the NPOs, productivity performance indicators at the sectoral, national and sub-regional levels;
4. Maintain a data base on productivity indicators.
BNPC outshone two other institutions, the Productivity South Africa and Mauritius National Productivity and Competitive Centre in a comparative study undertaken by the International Labour Organisation(ILO) to determine who should host the region’s new proposed body.
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