MALAYSIAN PM NAJIB SUGGESTS SHORT-TERM COURSES FOR AFRICAN CIVIL SERVANTS

CYBERJAYA (Bernama) - Civil servants from African countries and
beyond may soon be able to follow short-term courses focusing on the
transformation agenda being implemented in Malaysia at the Razak School of
Government in Putrajaya, said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

He said this followed strong interest shown by African leaders at the
ongoing Langkawi International Dialogue (LID) 2011 here.

Speaking to reporters at the end of day two of the three-day LID, Najib
said the leaders were excited about the Malaysian government’s transformation
programme outlined in the Government Transformation Plan (GTP) and the
Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).

“They are keen to send their officers over to learn about the programme
indepth. They even want (Minister in the PM's Department) Idris Jala
to visit their countries,” he said, adding that this proved that the
government’s transformation agenda was being recognised by both developed and
developing countries.

Earlier, the delegates were given a two-hour briefing on the transformation
programme by Idris, who is also the chief executive officer of the Performance
Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU).

The closed-door session was attended by Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe,
Prime Minister Pakalitha Bethuel Mosisili of Lesotho, Swaziland Prime Minister
Barnabas Sibusiso and Kenyan Vice-President Stephen Kalonzo, among others..

Established in 2009, PEMANDU's main objective is to oversee implementation,
assess the progress, facilitate and support the delivery system, and drive
forward the GTP and ETP.

The day also saw Najib and the African leaders attending a retreat session
themed “Future Direction of Smart Partnership/LID” where their discussions
centred on topics such as food and energy security, social media for
transformation and global movement of the moderates.

Najib said the leaders identified several issues that had contributed to
low food production in the African continent.

They include the use of low-yielding seeds, lack of technology, low-skilled
workers, irrigation problems and lack of access to credit, he said.

He said the Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management (CPTM) may
be able to look into this matter via the "Smart Partnership" concept.

On energy, Najib said a similar approach may be applied to boost energy
production in Africa by attracting the participation of the Malaysian
Independent Power Producers (IPPs) by way of a viable business model.

He said the leaders were also keen on having Malaysian education institution
representation in the African continent.

“They would like to see more Malaysian education institutions set up branch
campuses in their countries. There have been specific requests from Kenya and
Tanzania,” he said.

Najib said he also briefed the leaders on the “Global Movement of the
Moderates” towards achieving peace and tolerance, which had been well received
by the leaders.

“The president of Tanszania even said that the concept may be useful in
efforts to end the conflict in neighbouring Burundi,” he added.