Profile 4 Training

Rationale:

All levels of the seed industry are intensely technology-laden and the proper management of seed programmes requires a continuous availability of seed industry professionals and technicians trained to high levels of expertise in seed technology and allied disciplines. There is good record of donor assistance across Africa of building up skills which in the past initiated and sustained Africa’s seed development. But the wave of public sector staff training, undertaken with donor assistance in the decades from the 60s has almost disappeared. The senior leaders of African national seed programmes trained during that period, who stayed on and did not migrate to greener pastures, have since retired. In their place are, in many cases, inadequately trained staff who, though carrying out reduced mandates such as the public functions of variety improvement, seed quality control and extension, are hard pressed to meet the skill needs of their posts.

Where the private seed sector has flourished, human resource development has relatively kept pace with the needs of the industry, since by its very nature the private sector motivation for profitability renders it proactive in positively enhancing the resources required for profits; and human resource is the key resource in this respect. But it should also be pointed that the specialist nature of seed technology topics makes it necessary to ensure that there is a good pool of trained staff which will be able to service the private sector and manage all the key institutions which will need to be publicly maintained to support the seed industry. This responsibility cannot be left to the emerging private sector alone.

In almost all the emerging seed industries in Africa, human resource skills are found to be inadequate. While advocating resurgence in overseas fellowships to support current African seed industry efforts, it would be prudent also to look at opportunities for local or regional training in Africa itself. A survey shows a good number of Universities where with some effort, arrangements could be installed to offer basic training in seed technology and to some extent plant breeding. When that is achieved, the human resource needs of Africa’s resurgent seed industry drive could be supplied in a quicker, more economical manner.

Objective:

The objective of the project is to enhance the availability of adequately trained seed industry personnel for both the public and private sectors through the implementation of a large number of local and in-service training for technician level staff, development of Seed Technology Training Centers at Selected African Universities for professional staff and through a Graduate Fellowship Programme for Seed Managers.

Activities:

Across the board in ASBP implementation, emphasis will be given to institutional strengthening and capacity building at the regional and national levels, and considerable proportions of the programme budget will be allocated for these purposes. In that context training or human resource development will be a particularly important programme activity, with a large number of training courses to be organised. Through collaboration with other stakeholders, the programme may be able to contribute to implementation of even more courses. The programme is expected to make use, whenever appropriate, of course modules and training materials already available. Programme management may consider, during the preparatory phase, to develop a computerized course evaluation programme for efficient and objective training evaluation.

The activities of the project will include the following activities:

• Liaison with African Universities for the development of seed industry training courses in Africa for seed industry professional staff

• A vigorous campaign among donors and universities for the establishment of overseas as well as Africa-based graduate fellowship opportunities for national seed programme leaders.

• The institution with participating agencies, institutions, companies and colleges of local training courses for the training of the large numbers of technicians and artisans who will be required to operate key stages of the seed industry

• Assistance in the development of specific curricula to meet seed industry needs

• Coordination of the seed training efforts together with the operation of a monitoring and evaluation system.

Expected Results and Outputs:

The project is expected to lead to the institution of a good number of overseas and Africa-based graduate fellowship schemes in partnership with donors, African and overseas universities. At least four seed technology training departments at four African Universities selected on Regional basis will be expected to be achieved. These will generate about 20 professionals with at least MS degrees annually and about 100 with at least BS degree annually for the five year period. In cooperation with partner institutions involved in technician training, at least 200 technicians trained in laboratory work, field plot assistance, seed conditioning operations and quality control will be produced annually. Course curricula on seed enterprise management will be made available to train African seed entrepreneurs.

The training strategy will lead to huge savings resulting from the training in Africa seed training centres, including Universities, of a large number of seed staff. It will also enable trained staff to train and learn to solve problems associated with crops which their seed programmes will cover.