IDM & BOCONGO enter into a 5 years partnership

The Institute of Development Management (IDM) and Botswana Council of NGOs (BOCONGO) this week signed an agreement to collaborate on areas of mutual interest. IDM will provide BOCONGO membership with in-service training to equip them with the necessary competencies and skills to deliver their mandate of conscientizing and stimulating public interest towards compliance with international standards of good governance.
The two have signed a five year partnership to jointly conceptualize, plan and deliver training programmes relevant to BOCONGO constituency.
Speaking on behalf of IDM, the Assistant Director, Academic Services, Mr Mathias Chida said NGOs, Civil Society and Community Based Organizations are very important stakeholders when it comes advocacy and lobbying for policy reform and mind-set change towards people-centered development.
“Today as we venture into this agreement, we appeal to all NGOs out there to put greater emphasis of transforming this nation into a resilient, capable and knowledgeable society. Our pursuit is not only to build a strong knowledge-based economy as espoused by Government, but more importantly a society that is compliant with the principles of good governance,” he said. 
He went on to reveal that the collaboration with BOCONGO will contribute immensely to the growth of the newly established IDM Centre for Local Governance which continuously engages those charged with the responsibility of promoting good governance to be part and parcel of it.
Mr Chida said IDM’s relationship with Civil Society dates far back to the times when HIV/AIDS was a big threat, when the Institute developed training solutions to respond to the pandemic, adding “this time around we have widened the scope to cover a broad spectrum of participation to ensure inclusivity and applicability to changing situations”.
For his part, BOCONGO Board Member, Mr Robert Letsatsi said his organization welcomes the partnership as it will help capacitate membership and strengthen their skills set to execute their mandate. Mr Letsatsi said BOCONGO has a huge responsibility to lobby and advocate for good governance and that the training will facilitate the realization of this role. He cited rampant issues of corruption as some of the issues that keep his organization awake.
Highlighting the training programmes in the agreement, IDM Coordinator for the Centre for Local Governance, Mr Ketlhomilwe Moletsane said these include Leadership and Management; Corporate Governance; Financial Management; Project Management; Resource Mobilization and Monitoring and Evaluation as well as Mentorship.
He said Botswana is classified as a middle high income country and equally regarded as a shining example of good governance because of its historical prudent financial management practices and uninterrupted electoral system. “The emerging issues of corruption, voter apathy and associated accusations of electoral irregularities call for a strong civil society which holds the leadership of the country accountable. IDM and BOCONGO therefore believe that the programmes developed will play a much needed role to close these gaps”.
He further revealed that the agreement will also see the strengthening of collaboration by engaging members of BOCONGO as resource persons with expertise on some of the training courses, as well as enhance the duo’s visibility locally, regionally and globally.