Greetings: As a contribution to the on going discussion on the possibility of establishing a global gambian association and the prodding of some members of the list, I am posting for dialogue some of the work the Gambia Leadership Conference has been doing towards the realization of this goal. As the paper suggests it is a working document hence does invite onto itself criticism, additions, deletions, and general comments. Further, at the time this paper was drafted (following the proceedings at one of the GLC events), the political question was not amply dealt with and perhaps members of the list can elaborate further on this. Finally, I am not certain how the formating will look upos posting to the list, so if it is hard to read please go to www.gambian.com/synthesis.htm for a better read. Latjor ++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++ ++++++ A Global Gambian Association Strategic Framework (Working Paper) 1. Vision and Purpose What does the association want to achieve and for what purpose? How to Achieve The Stated Purpose 2. Objectives, Strategies, Actions What are its objectives and key strategies and actions? 3. Guiding Principles What are its guiding principles and expected norms of behavior? 4. Financing What are its resource bases (financial, human, and information resources)? 5. Structure What is the distinction between a global and an umbrella association? What is its comparative advantage or distinctive capability (relative to other existing organizations in the USA and the world) What are the synergies or complimentarities relative to other Gambian associations, community groups, the Gambian Embassies all over the world? What forms of partnerships would be optimal? How should it be organized for governance, policy, planning, and management? 6. Operations and Performance Management (monitoring and evaluation) What are the program priorities? How would the implementation of these programs be managed? What kind of performance measurement and management system should be established to measure success and progress and to enhance improvement. 1. Vision and Purpose - The Global Gambian Association What do we want to achieve and for what purpose? The vision expressed is for a dynamic organization with membership drawn from all Gambians in the Diaspora and with the inspiration and ability to enhance its value and capacity to produce outstanding performance and productivity while empowering each member to realize his/her potential. In short, the purpose is to establish a learning and leadership community that would engage in reflection, take necessary action, and make necessary adjustments and improvements as it seeks to: (a) meet the challenges of living in the Diaspora (economic, financial, social and cultural challenges); (b) meet the challenge of the 21st Century (globalization, technology, fast pace of change); (c) support the social and economic development of Gambians in the Diaspora; and (d) support the social and economic development of the Gambia . The associations would carry out these goals with a high level of commitment, with clear standards of performance and accountability to engender trust and participation, with excellence, flexibility and integrity, and other ways that safeguard the organizations effectiveness and long-term survival or sustainability. 2. Objectives, Strategies, and Actions Six objectives were identified, views expressed, and some strategies and actions formulated: · 1. Economic and Financial Empowerment and Growth · 2. Human Resource Management - the Use of Existing Capacity · 3. Human Development - Development of Capacity · 4. Social Welfare, Protection and Human Rights · 5. Cultural Heritage and Sustainable development · 6. Building the Learning and Leadership Community in the 21st Century In all these six areas, the role of technology and knowledge management is significant. 2.1 Economic and Financial Empowerment and Growth Objective: To promote the economic and financial Empowerment and productivity of Gambians Strategy: Revenue generation and job creation To generate financial resources for operations and for investment purposes To become a more productive community that can create jobs or direct members to opportunities To establish networks and information systems for jobs and other economic and financial opportunities Private sector development To promote private sector development among Gambians and to promote integration with global markets Technology To leverage technology for trade and investment of Gambian products and services Consultancies To establish a team/network of consultants to provide technical and management services 2.2 Human Resource Management - Using existing Gambian Capacity to Optimize Performance and Productivity Objective: To use existing capacity (professional, technical, management,social skills, and information technology) in the community for the betterment and advancement of the larger community: Strategy: Leadership To highlight the expectations of and define the role of leadership in the Gambian community. To enhance the visibility of the "intelligentia" and experts as leaders in the community Human Capital To define the scope of human and intellectual capital and assess how it could be used in an integrated fashion. To use existing human resource base to support for example smaller organizations and the community at large (provide training, give technical advise and suggestions) Networking To establish human resource base for networking and for information exchange Dialogue and Education for change and development To establish the human resource base for addressing emerging issues in the community and for establishing recommendations for action To promote use of professional resources to influence the direction of change and development in the Gambia in institutional development and capacity building Technology and Knowledge Management To establish and use the existing capacity in the community for the use of information technology. To facilitate access to information technology by all members of the association 2.3 Human Development - Capacity Development Objective: To invest in people, enhance their potential and capacity, and re-direct use of this capacity by the community Strategy: Access To increase access to higher education and skills training Graduation To increase efficiency and effectiveness in graduating from US colleges. Continuous education: To increase access to information for continuous learning. Actions: Provide support for financing of post-secondary and college education (scholarships, affiliations with colleges, database of grants and scholarships for Gambians or Africans) To provide training programs or information of sources for training. To provide an advisory service for education and training 2.4 Social Welfare and Protection and Human Rights Objective: To enhance the social and psychological adjustment and well being of the community Strategy: To assess synergies with existing social-based association in the community To assess and define the comparative value of the global association in social welfare and protection. To establish a Human Rights monitoring system To establish a social fund to address emergencies. 2.5 Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development Objective: To enhance the value of our cultural heritage and the promotion of cultural and social norms and activities for sustainable development. Strategy: Advancement: Education for dynamic cultural growth To promote understanding of culture not as a static or fixed force but as a dynamic entity which builds on the intellectual ability to define one's situation and to act on it. Thus, the need to move ahead with "cosaan" and to breed dynamism into it. To encourage and support artists engaged in the use of traditional art forms. To encourage and support the generation of young and new artists engaged in using traditional culture in new forms of expression. To review our cultural norms and mores and re-assess their application and practice and give culture a direction (review, discuss, debate aspects of culture to retain or relinquish). To acknowledge and value the different cultural configurations we all bring with us and to learn to respect and accommodate these differences. Maintenance: Sustaining Traditional Culture and Preservation of history To develop, as a starting point, a better understanding of our cultural roots. To enhance the foundation education and acculturation of our children (story telling sessions, classes, etc.) To raise funds to preserve the historic sites in The Gambia To enhance and promote Gambian musicians to perform and record To enhance the visibility of Gambian artists through the use of diverse media forms Enrichment To engage in cultural partnerships, exchanges, with other communities (African Americans, other Africans, etc.) Knowledge Management (Knowledge generation and Information dissemination) To compile, synthesize and publish cultural materials To leverage science and technology in cultural documentation and advancement Economic Activities: To get involved in the promotion and development of culture-based economic activities promoting tourism, trade, and investment. To connect with the organizers of the Roots Festival and seek to be involved in promoting the festival. To identify trade and investment issues and seek to take an active role to support development. To organize Festivals abroad for economic and cultural enrichment 2.6 Building the Learning and Leadership Community for the 21st Century To promote a learning and leadership community among Gambians - one that is in tuned with world and technological changes, and inspires, legitimizes, and empowers itself for reflection, action, and flexible adaptation as one basis for making a sustainable contribution to development. Strategy: Core Values and Guiding Principles To promote the development of the 21st Century Gambian who is: (a) Engaged in continuous learning, reflection, and action for adaptation to constant change; (b) Is in tuned with and participates in the emerging trends of development (the global economy, knowledge management, technological advancement, mobile capital, governance issues; (c) Makes shifts in mental paradigms to focus on: finding value in all involved and empowering the participation of all in a collaborative and non-hierarchical manner; the development influencing and learning facilitation skills as opposed to command and control pre-disposition; the development of non-linear and systems dynamics forms of thinking and action-taking; the development of tolerance for calculated and responsible risk taking; the establishment of clear performance standards and quality criteria in all undertakings as an important factor in building trust and measuring progress; the ability to identify opportunities and exploiting them with vigor, perseverance and integrity. Knowledge Development and Management To enhance knowledge generation and dissemination of information among Gambians (publications, seminars, work-sessions) To re-activate the journals as one basis for enlightenment and the sharing of knowledge among Gambians To leverage the use of technology for learning and communication Networking To enhance professional networking To establish virtual networking systems To hold conferences and seminars as a forum for networking, sharing of knowledge and lessons of experience. 3. Guiding Principles What are guiding principles, the value system, the expected norms of behavior or business ethics to enhance focus and effectiveness of the association? Selectivity for Realism and Effectiveness - Leverage its Advantage Given its newness and the scale and scope of the agenda, the Global association must focus on key strategic directions and priority actions that cut-across members while catalyzing the maximum potential of other associations. It should encourage a more realistic division of labor with other organizations.. Partnership: that builds on a shared or common vision. commitment and action. Collaboration and coordination with other organizations with a shared vision and commitment should be promoted. Partnership could extend to other non-Gambian organizations for certain joint efforts. The identification of key stakeholders and support groups of the association should be defined. Responsiveness The association should be responsive to members, clients for services to be provided, and key stakeholders and demonstrates real and negotiated value to these groups. Results-Orientation It should defines clear outcomes and impact, and concentrate on maximizing impact, high quality service, increased efficiency in operation, and accountability for performance Cost-effectiveness It must have a clear notion of the costs of various actions and assess the effectiveness of alternative strategies as well as their long-term effects and sustainability. Adaptability The associations must establish structures, charters and operational procedures that would give it the capacity to adjust quickly, to change and move on Financial integrity For the generated financial resources, the association must establish clear accountability systems and governance of such funds. Cultural integrity The Gambian valises of integrity and generativity should be paramount in the ethos of the association. 4. Financing What are its resource bases a) Human resource bases - knowledge skills, aptitudes, attitudes, reputation, image of the community b) Financial resources (generation, mobilization, management, allocation) c) Friends of The Gambia and other sources of financing or in-kind contributions. Issues pertaining to the financial and human resources for the management of the association were raised and it was agreed that these will defined in follow-up meetings. 5. Structure and Organization for Policy, Planning, and Management The meeting highlighted the need for an organization that is non-partisan, efficient, flexible, that can serve its members and help achieve its objectives in a sustainable basis. It raised questions and made recommendations related to the following: Membership What does a global membership mean? What consideration would be given to what is do-able and manageable? What is the role of technology in the establishment of a virtual system? Comparative Value What is its comparative advantage or distinctive capability (relative to other existing organizations in the USA and the world, the Gambia Embassy) What are the synergies or complementarities relative to other Gambian associations, community groups, the Embassies all over the world? How would existing organizations in the Diaspora be aligned with the global organizations? Could it provide a "clearing house of information" for all other Gambian organizations? Could it serve as a nodal point for providing technical and professional services to Gambian small associations (on organizational development, management, resource leveraging, etc.) Partisan politics As a non-partisan body focused on development for all, does this negate the discussion and dialogue on political issues? Structure for Governance, Policy, Planning. Management and Accountability What type of policy and management structure best suits the association and what are the criteria for the various official positions (Board, President, Management team, operations,performance evaluation) 6. Operational Functions: The meeting highlighted the difference between what the participants want and the need to be realistic in what can be done and being able to carry this our. This calls for a good basis for establishing the priorities for action, for defining management plans: (implementation plans with clearly defined tasks, schedules, responsibilities, costs) and for establishing a performance measurement and management system. The need for the establishment of a secretariat for work to be done and to begin the initial steps of launching the association. Participants expressed the need for the establishment of a "Gambia House" to house the secretariat of the association and to provide space for meetings, conferences, seminars, training, social gatherings etc. Report Prepared by the Synthesis Team, Working Group on Strategic Planning Sukai Prom-Jackson, Lamin Jeng, Latjor Ndow, Mohammed Kah, Mbye Cham. Gambia Leadership Conference www.gambian.com/glc.htm ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------