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Reflections from AGI's Staff Development Week 2011
Thursday, Sep 01, 2011 in Africa Governance Initiative
I’ve worked for AGI for a couple of years now and there are two things that never fail to motivate and inspire me. The first is the people I get to work with – during my time in the President’s Strategy and Policy Unit in Rwanda the passion and commitment of my AGI and Government of Rwanda colleagues was what got me up in the morning. The second is our inquisitiveness – we are always seeking to improve how we work, learn from our successes and mistakes, and ultimately have the biggest impact we can.
Last month I was lucky enough to combine the two, when our teams based in Liberia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone returned to London for our annual Staff Development Week, to share the lessons from their experience and hear the views of outside experts. There were many highlights.
It was great to be reminded of the successes of countries we work with. The sheer pace of change is dazzling –whether it’s the advance of Free Health Care in Sierra Leone (http://www.tonyblairoffice.org/africa/news-entry/pioneering-development-in-rwanda/), the cancellation of Liberia’s debt (http://www.tonyblairoffice.org/africa/news-entry/liberian-president-government-and-people-are-partners-in-progress/), or Rwanda taking the lead in controlling its own development agenda (http://www.tonyblairoffice.org/africa/news-entry/sierra-leones-free-healthcare-initiative-one-year-on/). It’s a great privilege to work alongside these countries as they make the transition from conflict and fragility to sustained development.
We heard from a varied set of external speakers who challenged us to reflect on how we work. Martin Kalungu-Banda, the former Chief of Staff to the President of Zambia and now an expert in leadership development helped us think through the challenges of operating in a politically neutral way in the heart of government. Renowned author and journalist Phillip Gourevitch gave us a nuanced and sophisticated story of the changes he’s seen in Rwanda since he first visited in the aftermath of the genocide in 1995. And Rachel Wolf from the New Schools Network gave us her thoughts on how the UK government is reforming public services.
And, as always, it was a pleasure to hear the stories of our teams: the common challenges, the ups and downs, but always the sense of optimism and tenacity to get things done. Our CEO, Kate, summed up the mood:
“Through our work in Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Liberia, we are helping to make government work more effectively for 20 million people. Imag¬ine what might be possible in the next five years if a new wave of African governments can kick-start their coun¬tries’ economies and make sure that the gains of growth are shared among their people. For this to happen, these governments need the support of the international community, but the kind of support which keeps Africans in the driving seat. Where a leader is elected to transform their country and the lives of their people, I want them to be able to call on AGI.”
I’ve worked for AGI for a couple of years now and there are two things that never fail to motivate and inspire me. The first is the people I get to work with – during my time in the President’s Strategy and Policy Unit in Rwanda the passion and commitment of my AGI and Government of Rwanda colleagues was what got me up in the morning. The second is our inquisitiveness – we are always seeking to improve how we work, learn from our successes and mistakes, and ultimately have the biggest impact we can.
Last month I was lucky enough to combine the two, when our teams based in Liberia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone returned to London for our annual Staff Development Week, to share the lessons from their experience and hear the views of outside experts. There were many highlights.
It was great to be reminded of the successes of countries we work with. The sheer pace of change is dazzling – whether it’s the advance of Free Health Care in Sierra Leone, the cancellation of Liberia’s debt, or Rwanda taking the lead in controlling its own development agenda. It’s a great privilege to work alongside these countries as they make the transition from conflict and fragility to sustained development.
We heard from a varied set of external speakers who challenged us to reflect on how we work. Two former Chiefs of Staff did sessions during the week. Martin Kalungu-Banda, the former Chief of Staff to the President of Zambia and now an expert in leadership development helped us think through the challenges of operating in a politically neutral way in the heart of government. And Jonathan Powell, Chief of Staff to Tony Blair from 1995 to 2007, who spoke about what he learned from his experiences in downing street. Renowned author and journalist Phillip Gourevitch gave us a nuanced and sophisticated story of the changes he’s seen in Rwanda since he first visited in the aftermath of the genocide in 1995. And Rachel Wolf from the New Schools Network gave us her thoughts on how the UK government is reforming public services.
And, as always, it was a pleasure to hear the stories of our teams: the common challenges, the ups and downs, but always the sense of optimism and tenacity to get things done. Our CEO, Kate, summed up the mood:
“Through our work in Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Liberia, we are helping to make government work more effectively for 20 million people. Imag¬ine what might be possible in the next five years if a new wave of African governments can kick-start their coun¬tries’ economies and make sure that the gains of growth are shared among their people. For this to happen, these governments need the support of the international community, but the kind of support which keeps Africans in the driving seat. Where a leader is elected to transform their country and the lives of their people, I want them to be able to call on AGI.”
Andy Ratcliffe, Director of Strategy and Development
Last month I was lucky enough to combine the two, when our teams based in Liberia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone returned to London for our annual Staff Development Week, to share the lessons from their experience and hear the views of outside experts. There were many highlights.
It was great to be reminded of the successes of countries we work with. The sheer pace of change is dazzling – whether it’s the advance of Free Health Care in Sierra Leone, the cancellation of Liberia’s debt , or Rwanda taking the lead in controlling its own development agenda. It’s a great privilege to work alongside these countries as they make the transition from conflict and fragility to sustained development.
We heard from a varied set of external speakers who challenged us to reflect on how we work. Martin Kalungu-Banda, the former Chief of Staff to the President of Zambia and now an expert in leadership development helped us think through the challenges of operating in a politically neutral way in the heart of government. Renowned author and journalist Phillip Gourevitch gave us a nuanced and sophisticated story of the changes he’s seen in Rwanda since he first visited in the aftermath of the genocide in 1995. And Rachel Wolf from the New Schools Network gave us her thoughts on how the UK government is reforming public services.
And, as always, it was a pleasure to hear the stories of our teams: the common challenges, the ups and downs, but always the sense of optimism and tenacity to get things done. Our CEO, Kate, summed up the mood:
“Through our work in Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Liberia, we are helping to make government work more effectively for 20 million people. Imagine what might be possible in the next five years if a new wave of African governments can kick-start their coun¬tries’ economies and make sure that the gains of growth are shared among their people. For this to happen, these governments need the support of the international community, but the kind of support which keeps Africans in the driving seat. Where a leader is elected to transform their country and the lives of their people, I want them to be able to call on AGI.”
Andy Ratcliffe, Director of Strategy and Development
