The Global Business School Network (GBSN) is proud to have been managing the Johnson and Johnson funded Management Development Institute (MDI) for over a year now. In this time, the program has grown from 3 delivery partners to 5, who deliver 6 in-person trainings in 3 languages (English, French and Portuguese).
The 2018 MDI trainings kicked off on July 22nd, 2018 with MDI Francophone in Senegal.
Our Executive Director, Fabienne Jolivert had the opportunity to take part and experienced first-hand the commitment of each participant to learn and share their experience with one another.
MDI Francophone
2018 marks the third round of the MDI Francophone training in Dakar managed by GBSN member school ISM and led by Dr. Mame Yauto Faye and her team.
Before I begin, I encourage you to read about Dr. Faye’s remarkable journey at ISM Dakar, as recounted by GBSN’s founder, Guy Pfeffermann (Read Here).
It is important to keep some of the following statistics front and center in order to truly appreciate the impact of the MDI initiative and what ensues when people come together with a common aim to strengthen leadership capacity:
- In 2016 MDI Francophone gathered 44 participants from 10 countries
- In 2017 MDI Francophone gathered 44 participants from 10 countries
- In 2018 MDI Francophone gathered 61 participants from 14 countries (including far-off Madagascar)
- To date, we count 52 on-going projects born out of the MDI francophone trainings
I am extremely impressed by the caliber of ISM’s implementation of the one-week training in Senegal, both from a logistics and a content perspective. Dr. Faye’s team went above and beyond to ensure that all participants had the proper support needed.
The way that ISM has fully embraced the training has allowed for on-going improvements, ensuring the content is regionally relevant and addresses cultural nuances.
As an international organization that prides itself on fostering capacity building across borders, GBSN knows that program beneficiaries and partners must take the lead in deciding on what is “best.”
The key to our success is to ensure that all partners work together successfully towards one goal, in this case strengthening management and leadership capacity of healthcare professionals across Africa.
During my time in Senegal I had the opportunity to meet ISM’s President Dr. Mohammed Dieye and ISM’s Chairman Mr. Amadou Diaw who both emphasized the strategic importance of MDI trainings, not just in reinforcing capacities but also in fostering collaboration between healthcare professionals.
Thanks to ISM’s leadership and Johnson & Johnson’s support, we will bring the training to Abijan, Cte d’Ivoire in November 2018.
My colleagues and I look forward to continuing to work and grow alongside our MDI partners. I invite you to keep in touch for updates on the MDI trainings in Kenya and Nigeria that will be coming soon.
Fabienne Jolivert is the Executive Director of the Global Business School Network.