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company profile management managing for development results organisational and institutional development private sector for development facilitating processes

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contents welcome to mdf west africa training and consultancy the mdf approach consultancies 6 facilitation and coaching

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1 tailor made training courses open entry courses mdf west africa 8 first street osu kuku-hill pmb 357 ct accra ghana t +233 030 7021010 m +233 026 5646065 w www.mdf.nl/mdf-wa e mdfwa@mdf.nl

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welcome to mdf west africa training and consultancy 2 our services we provide courses facilitation of events and consultancy services to strengthen managerial and organisational capacities of organisations in the development sector in west africa tailor-made training workshops and courses that are geared to your specific needs based on our existing interactive modules · training facilitation skills · managing change processes · strategic planning · management leadership · project management · stakeholder management · organisational strengthening · teambuilding team motivation · writing a winning proposal duration contents methods location all these can be adapted to your wishes consultancy short and longer term advisory projects in our fields of expertise · strategic planning and review · institutional sector and organisational assessment · capacity assessment and organisational development planning · project design and formulation · evaluations of projects and programmes · project management · design of monitoring schemes · advocacy and influencing policy open entry courses english and french speaking courses in the field of management and organisation development for which you can register the courses are organised by mdf west africa in ghana togo and burkina faso please consult the course calendar on our website www.mdf.nl/mdf-wa for the actual programme facilitation and coaching facilitation of workshops annual retreats stakeholder platforms organisation of events competence assessments and personal coaching tailored to your needs mdf wa services consultancy facilitation and coaching tailor-made training open entry courses

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3 dear readers welcome or `akwaaba as we say in ghana to mdf west africa we are pleased to present our organisation to you our office opened its doors in 2009 and is based in accra ghana mdf west africa is a regional office of the world wide operating mdf training consultancy whose headquarters is in the netherlands mdf has regional offices in sri lanka belgium colombia tanzania indonesia vietnam and r.d congo we bring together modern management theories and tools with more than 25 years of practical experience in development projects and programmes worldwide our approach to training as well as to consultancy is of practical nature rich in visual elements and with a high degree of participation our participants and clients work in the west african region for ngo s governments private companies un and donor organisations in the development sector among our clients in west africa are the european commission the canadian international development agency undp unicef cordaid snv netherlands development organisation the netherlands leprosy foundation misea cara nuffic and cnv internationaal and many more mdf training consultancy employs 110 staff members and in addition calls upon experts from its satellite network or its pool of affiliated consultants our staff is involved both in training and consultancy to ensure that we maintain a close link with day-to-day practices in the field we are specialists in our own particular fields mdf experts are professional people with initiative we create strong and sincere working relations with the course participants and our clients in the field we look forward to welcoming you to one of our training events or to meeting you at our office in accra or in your own organisation to discuss your specific needs be welcome to contact us director mdf west africa ingrid plag our mission is to enhance the management capacities of professionals and organisations in the development sector by providing participatory and experiential training and consultancy services

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the mdf approach 4 learning and facilitating change we believe that development is fundamentally about change facilitated by processes of learning all our services are about learning and facilitating change we encourage you to change at an individual level through the creation of new insights and sharpened skills to improve performance at an organisational level we facilitate change through improved competencies streamlined systems and more accurate and comprehensive planning our approach in a nutshell · people-centered · participatory · practically applied use of methods that have been developed tested and applied for many years in very different circumstances and cross-cultural contexts this enables us to keep an open mind to each new situation next to intercultural sensitivity we use our advanced communication skills and sense of humour to achieve common goals we strongly believe that sustainable results can only be achieved when all participants are actively involved in analysing planning and implementation this enables us to make optimal use of existing knowledge and experiences moreover it increases vital support for the required change in the organisation training approach you re important to us at mdf we emphasise that our world is about people we therefore enjoy working with people from different cultures and with diverse professional backgrounds they have at least one thing in common our participants are professionals seeking to further enhance their knowhow and skills consultancy approach our approach in consultancy and facilitation is informed by participatory and people-centred learning methodologies the interest and willingness to learn and share ideas are central in our approach we make activist having an experience concrete experience a happening task stimulus pragmatist planning the next step testing concepts in new situations trying out new behaviour abstract conceptualization ways of seeing self and the world new notions theories attitudes intentions observation thinking mulling over discussing reflector reviewing the experience theorist concluding the experience figure 1 kolb s learning cycle with adaptation to add honey and mumford s learning styles after dearden et al 1999

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5 everyone has unique experiences and ideas that are valuable to share and to test that is why we value your committed participation in our training so much this enables an eager climate of learning and the learning from peers visuals films focused discussions assessments simulations a rich variety of methods our courses follow the adult learning cycle figure 1 this is an experiential learning cycle that describes how adults generally learn and acquire new experiences our training courses are rather practical you learn hands-on up-to-date tools that you can use directly in your context we are making learning fun by humour using energisers and icebreakers and going into the forest for some outdoor experiences you can expect personalised feedback in order that you become even better in what you do our approach is appreciative in our training we take your competence into account we value what you already know and your competencies we build onto these and explore how you can do even better the challenge is to find out what even better means within your context our professionalism includes that we offer you the newest insights and we assist you individually where needed we firmly believe that local people understand regional situations best what we offer is our international experience in the application of methods processes and tools that have proven their practicality but tools alone do not make a carpenter hence our training is not a one-way technical knowledge transfer session but a dialogue between local knowledge and international expertise we believe it is this combination that solves problems most effectively at mdf we firmly believe that if you are eager to learn it is our responsibility to stimulate challenge and inspire you in different ways to develop therefore we investigate your personal learning needs and desires it is our ambition to cater for these and tailor our courses as much as possible we evaluate during the course whether we are still on track and if needed we will adapt methods and modules back home training is not an end in itself learning for change does continue after the course that is where it is put to use with the actual application of learning behavioural change takes place therefore at the end of each course you make an individual action plan to enable you to apply the learning in your work environment for a number of courses we offer coaching and assess changes after the course learning styles we acknowledge that people have different learning styles in our training courses you can be sure that we make use of a large variety of interactive learning methods some are preferred by you some by others you may experience exercises presentations casestudies real life cases role plays reading debates the subjects are well explained with a good balance between theory and practice sessions are not too long and that facilitates the concentration the areas touched will be useful for my job participant project and programme management course 2010

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consultancies 6 facilitating change most development interventions provoke change processes but changes never take place overnight and without problems or even conflicts mdf consultants aim to assist you in facilitating changes rather than providing blue prints by developing workable solutions in close consultation with all stakeholders concerned mdf consultants aim to serve as a broker and facilitator of the required change processes we provide short and longer term advisory trails in our fields of expertise · strategic planning and review · institutional sector and organisational assessment · capacity assessment and organisational development planning · project design and formulation · evaluations of projects and programmes · project management · design of monitoring schemes · advocacy and policy influencing why a mdf west africa consultancy in line with our principles of participative and experiential learning we put the people in the centre no assessments or planning exercise take place without paying explicit attention to the human dimension of the change process involving the main stakeholders we do not tell you what to do but we assist you in finding out what the best course of action is we practice the principle that people are the most important factor in any change process discover that your own staff will have the best potential for identifying and realising improved performance we deliver more than a report we facilitate a change process and enhance organisational and or project output we apply international standards together with the understanding of local sensitivity our type of consultancy services varies from technical advice evaluation to interim management please find on the opposite page two examples of consultancies we have recently provided to give you a first impression of our services.

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7 from the field organisational capacity development in sierra leone mdf west africa supported a fast growing health ngo in sierra leone with an organisational assessment to analyse `how can the organisation improve its managerial efficiency to reduce the workload of management while maintaining high ambitions and quality standards of work the mdf consultant provided practical recommendations and has accompanied the organisation in freetown during a couple of months to coach the implementation of the proposed changes mdf services provided · organisational capacity assessment oca with a tested tool · capacity development plan · management support to further develop the internal organisation structure systems communication and decision making · carry out competency scan of staff and provide continuous training-on-the-job support to a business support centre in liberia mdf supported a client who is implementing a pilot project that combines business development training with a business plan competition mdf was called in to help move the project forward after the pilot project encountered some serious delays during a ten-day visit to the business support centre a mdf consultant facilitated the process where issues causing the delay were identified mdf services provided · facilitated a review of planning and identification of bottlenecks start working on some main causes for delay · elaborate business plan competition model identification of partners explore finance model explore co-funding options · carry out competency scan of the business start-up centre and formulate recommendations for developing staff capacities · carry out competency scan of staff and provide continuous training-on-the-job

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facilitation and coaching 8 facilitating events and on-the-job coaching mdf west africa facilitates workshops annual retreats stakeholder platforms and events we also offer certified competence assessments and personal coaching trajectories we can provide you the required moderator or on-the-job coach the report was explained and discussed with the assessor during a consult via skype for a selection of the staff the report was further used as a tool to facilitate the coaching and mentoring sessions for the development of personal professional leadership and management skills design of workshop sessions for national forum on inclusive education mdf was involved in the design of the workshop sessions for a three day national forum on inclusive education organised by the ghana education service and usaid the workshops were delivered by 15 facilitators all trained by mdf in facilitation techniques such as world café and open space facilitation of annual program meeting of cida cida ghana development assistance program is one of cida s largest programs in africa once a year the whole team meets face-to-face to discuss key cross sectoral issues to build teams and to interact with other cida division staff mdf was requested to facilitate the five-day retreat which included · feedback on the agenda and suggestion of creative means to engage all participants · incorporation of team building exercises and icebreakers · preparation of materials required for effective facilitation of each session · management of the process during the retreat to ensure participants are fully and constructively engaged and that objectives are fully met · preparation of a short report outlining key team building issues identified during the meeting and suggestions for follow-up including suggestions for the organisation of next year s meeting very positive reactions were received from the participants on the dynamics of the retreat why a mdf west africa facilitation in line with our principles of participative and experiential learning we put the people in the centre we understand group dynamics very well and know how to manage them we know how to achieve maximum involvement of participants we have a lot of ideas how to design a successful workshop or event we know how to balance fun and achieving common goals please find below some examples of facilitation and coaching we have recently provided to give you a better idea of our services from the field competence assessments personal coaching mdf offered the birkman© competence assessment to an international ngo that was looking for ways to further develop the personal professional leadership and management skills of staff this assessment provides an insight into behavioural styles motivating interests proactive behaviour strengths underlying needs behavioural drivers and stress reactions the staff filled in the birkman assessment online they got feedback in the form of a comprehensive report that focuses on how they react to other people and their work environment.

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tailor made training courses 10 training suited to your specific needs mdf west africa offers tailor-made training for the development sector your needs demand that training packages reflect your unique context in order to be of immediate value to your organisations and your people tailor-made training courses are able to ensure that your organisation or group of organisations can critically reflect on the value added by each tool or approach to address your specific set of challenges tailor-made training courses challenge our trainers to go that extra mile to get into the heart of the matter which may not be found in any standard book or training manual upon request we design and adapt in close consultation with you our existing training products and services to your needs and requirements all our regular courses and parts thereof as well as additional sector-specific courses are used as basis for tailor-made training interactive modules can be offered in the following fields mdf west africa has developed such tailor-made trainings with organisations from a wide range of sectors countries size and backgrounds we are proud to say that our products and services can be tailored to suit a wide variety of clients why a tailor-made course or workshop · optimal relevance by tuning course programme to training needs of your organisation · choice of timing location and country language english french local languages at your own convenience · modalities adapted to suit your learning needs · modular approach can be adopted and eventual follow-up action e.g coaching · more economic than open-entry courses in case of 5 or more participants strategic planning strategic planning training facilitation skills training facilitation skills managing change processes managing change processes management leadership management leadership stakeholder management stakeholder management teambuilding team teambuilding team motivation motivation courses geared to your specific needs project management project management organisational strengthening organisational strengthening writing a winning proposal writing a winning proposal

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11 practical information the initiative for these types of assignments lies with you as client based on the expertise required the time available the staff involved and our availability we select an appropriate trainer to support you the duration of the courses and workshops depends on your wishes the complexity of the projects or programmes and the number of participants courses can be conducted in english and french each of our regular courses can be adapted to meet your specific needs should you wish to know more about what is possible please contact us so that we can get to know you and your context better and work out the best solution together management development programme for the water operators in ghana the water operator in ghana is going through a change process to strengthen the water supply in the urban sector over 100 managers have followed a special management training designed by mdf west africa the main purpose of the training was to prepare and guide managers to effectively implement the change processes in their organisation the training has helped participants to identify the cultural and operational obstacles in their organisation and to formulate priority actions to achieve the required changes in mindset and operations the training is not a `one-off event but was followed by coaching sessions between the trainers and the regional management teams writing ec proposal workshop for caritas burkina faso on request of caritas burkina faso a five-day workshop was organised to develop a full proposal for the european commission including a concept note training elements included techniques to assess the organisational capacity project formulation and writing a winning proposal the caritas team went through all steps of the proposal writing process and are fully confident in repeating the exercise for a next opportunity leadership and management skills training for fews net in senegal zimbabwe ethiopia mdf organised a two day training during the regional country directors meetings of famine early warning systems network fews net in harare addis ababa and dakar the objective of the training was to enhance the leadership and management skills of the participating fews net representatives areas of focus included communication skills interpersonal relations and organisational relations teamwork providing effective feedback and time management the training was delivered by mdf in english and french from the field capacity building program for national health insurance authority in ghana mdf and its implementing partners kit royal tropical institute and gimpa designed a two-year tailor-made training programme to strengthen the internal capacity of national health insurance authority nhia the authority has grown rapidly and management was challenged to keep pace with the increased number of insured the increasing complexity of its tasks and the pressure from the media politicians donor partners and other stakeholders health insurance is a complex activity the training programme ensures in-house availability of critical skills for the management of such a complex activity including training on stakeholder management managing change monitoring supervision of district schemes health insurance research and financial sustainability.

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open entry courses 12 courses on management for development organised by mdf mdf organises several management for development courses for which you can register they take place in ghana togo and burkina faso please consult our calendar online www.mdf.nl/mdf-wa or contact our west africa office practical information for open entry courses registration all mdf courses are open to participants from governments ngos and private organisations you can preferably register online www.mdf.nl/mdf-wa or ask for an application form by e-mail course fee course fees include course materials excursions and drinks snacks and lunch during the course days payments can be done in euros us dollars or the equivalent in ghana cedi for more information please contact the mdf west africa office training venue and accomodation the training courses will take place in excellent training venues in accra lomé and ouagadougou course accommodation is not included in the course fee however you are able to book accommodation at or near the training venue at a reasonable rate for more information on the training venues and accommodation please check our website www.mdf.nl/mdf-wa travel and visa please know that you are responsible for transport to and from ghana/togo/burkina faso and for your personal insurance while in these countries when coming from abroad please ensure yourself that you have a valid passport and visa for visa requirements please contact our mdf west africa office project programme manager roles tasks organisation planning institutional analysis communication feedback monitoring presentation negotiation teamwork conflict man organisational analysis evaluation networking motivation managing performance management framework why attend one of our open entry courses · be introduced to the latest management theories methodologies and concepts · bring in your own experiences and relate learnings to your and other participants working reality · practice managerial tools and skills under the guidance of an experienced international team of facilitators · access mdf west africa s network to continue exchanging experiences with fellow participants and mdf facilitators after the course more information www.mdf.nl/mdf-wa

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facilitation skills course 13

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