Must Read: The African Project Manager

Africa poses unique challenges to successful project management.

A project manager in Africa must adapt to cultural influences and groups with different—and sometimes completely contradictory—views of what constitutes project success.

A rapidly developing but inadequate infrastructure combined with conflicting agendas, both inside and outside organisations, presents often-unforeseen obstacles that affect project outcomes.

The African Project Manager is a practical guide to project management in particularly challenging circumstances.

Author H. ‘Tomi Davies says: ‘While the level of awareness, knowledge, and recognition of standards in Africa is on the rise, many projects continue to fail. No doubt, ameliorating project failure requires project management maturity amongst continental practitioners and the adaptation of global best practices aligned with our peculiar circumstances in Africa.

‘To achieve the required professionalism that results in project delivery success, two hurdles peculiar to the African environment must be overcome. First is the mindset that is seeping into nascent project managers and their newly converted sponsors that all projects are the same and that their standardized approach must be followed to the letter each and every time, regardless of the peculiarities of the prevailing environment in which it has to be executed.

‘Second, and more significant, are the continent-wide behavioural practices that, when challenged, evoke the universal retort, “This is Africa”.’

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