Experts and stakeholders in the project management ecosystem have called for collaboration, inclusion and diversity to boost sustainable future for Africa.
This was stated at the 2022 Project Management Institute (PMI) Africa Conference held in Lagos. The three-day event with the theme: ‘Sustainable Growth for Social Good: Connecting ideas, people and projects’ included roundtable dialogues, exhibition visits, networking opportunities and panellists’ sessions where front-burner issues and challenges in project management are discussed.
The managing director, Sub Saharan Africa, PMI, George Asamani said, “Countries, companies and communities who succeed do so by applying the practice of project management. In the new normal, when the resources are stretched, project management becomes even more critical to maximise return on investment and deliver results.”
Founder of SHEngineers, and senior civil engineer, Innocentia Mahlangu, emphasised the need for organisations to reform their workplace policies to reflect diversity and inclusivity.
In her speech titled: ‘Boosting The Role Of Women In Africa’s Project Economy,’ she remarked that like many technical professions, project management still remains male-dominated.
Reflecting the sentiments of UN Women, she pointed out that gender equality is one of the best ways of solving some of these 21st-century challenges.
“Women are not only more affected by these problems, but they have ideas and leadership to solve them. Gender discrimination which is still prevalent, not only holds too many women back but also the world. Inclusion is not only a human resource or company policy issue. It’s an opportunity for new ideas and leadership styles to emerge and solve our current challenges to make the world a better place,’’ she said.
While speaking on the theme ‘Achieving Organisational Strategic Objectives Through Project Portfolio Management (PPM)’, CEO, iCentra, Taopheek Babayeju, identified bad execution as a leading cause of failure of many organisations and projects. KO
Also, president, PMI Nigeria chapter and business director, Astridia Global, Paul Omugbe, pointed out “as a project manager, you have to be able to deal with the changes both outside and within the project that you are working on. You have to be able to adapt to change in your environment.”
