HR experts seek collaboration to integrate human capital management in Africa

THE need for Human Resources ( HR) leaders across Africa, to collaborate and build organisations with great talent to develop the sector has been brought to the fore.

Noting that HR is crucial to Africa’s development, they underscore the importance of a global standard, talent and voice for maximum productivity.

The practitioners made the submission during the PanAfrican panel session, at the 52nd Annual National Conference of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria ( CIPM), where they deliberated extensively on, “Setting the Agenda for

Human Capital Management in Africa.” President and Chairman of Council, CIPM, Wale Adediran, who spoke on developing the roadmap to implement realities, said it was important to bring traditional practices that are adding value to organisations to create valuable practices for easy adaptation globally.

When this is achieved, he maintained that exporting HR globally would be very easy, while reiterating CIPM’S commitment to create a summit that would aggregate collective ideas that would create value for Africa. He also emphasised the need to accelerate the journey of HR in Africa.

Similarly, Vice President

Institute of People Management of Zimbabwe, Cleopas Chiketa, noted that it was time to develop modules that would shape HR management in Africa. He emphasised effective leadership and mentorship culture as tenets to focus on for the revolution of HR practice in Africa. “If we want to be able to tap in the tacit area that leaders have, we have to tap into mentorship where people can feed the pipeline to manage the organisation into the future.”

Country Chief Executive Officer ( CEO), Lafarge Holcim Zimbabwe, Precious Murena- Nyiko, who spoke on setting HR in Africa on the right path, stressed the need for manpower bodies to influence curriculum for HR in universities, to unify operations and mutuality for certifications.

Emphasising the need to make it work, she identified challenges of diversity, culture and translations as factors that may hinder it, adding that if Africa succeeds to bring together HR bodies across, it would set a template for countries in diaspora to emulate.

CEO of Hesed Consulting, Johannesburg, South Africa, Vumile Msweli, said to develop manpower practice in Africa, practitioners must know the reasons and challenges for recruitment, address issues on engagement and ensure sustainability.