This special issue of the Project Management Journal presents a collection of six articles on managing projects in Africa. Providing a window into the important project activity taking place there, these articles extend both the empirical and theoretical understanding of the African project context and contribute to improving practice. Each article makes a unique contribution to either our understanding of the African project context or project management in general, and sometimes to both. After an introduction to the African project context at the start of the 21st century, the articles explore: three different countries as well as multinational projects; for-profit, public sector, and development aid projects; infrastructure and information and communication technology; project governance as well as project management; and partnering challenges.

Africa, with its rapidly growing economic influence, offers exciting ground for project managers who can adapt to the continent's unique challenges. Africa's diverse peoples and cultures must be considered in any project, as must politics, resources, and an infrastructure often struggling to keep up with economic and technological demands. The successful project manager in Africa combines knowledge of industry standards with the flexibility needed to adjust to expectations while maintaining a disciplined, effective management process. Written specifically for the African business environment, The African Project Manager contains advice, guidelines and case studies valuable to all project managers, whether they're based in Chicago, Beijing, or Lagos. Davies's thorough understanding of his topic has international applications, helping project managers transform local challenges into opportunities. -- back cover.

In recent years, many developing regions across the globe have made rigorous efforts to become integrated into the global information society. The development and implementation of information communication technology (ICT) devices and policies within various fields of service have significantly aided in the infrastructural progression of these countries. Despite these considerable advancements, there remains a lack of research and awareness on this imperative subject. Developing Countries and Technology Inclusion in the 21st Century Information Society is an essential reference source that discusses the adoption and impact of ICT tools in developing areas of the world as well as specific challenges and sustainable uses within various professional fields. Featuring research on topics such as policy development, gender differences, and international business, this book is ideally designed for educators, policymakers, researchers, librarians, practitioners, scientists, government officials, and students seeking coverage on modern applications of ICT services in developing countries.

Improving Manufacturing Performance in South Africa

This book aims to present a state-of-the-art account of the field of project management (PM) and present a body of knowledge (BoK)of the field for developing countries. It will discuss the current state of knowledge on project management by considering current trends and how they widen the content and scope of the field and explore the need for a special body of knowledge of project management for developing countries. It will also determine the nature of project management in developing countries, consider the contents of the field, and discuss the relationships between the new field and established bodies of knowledge. Lastly, this book will consider the future of project management in developing countries and how it might influence mainstream project management. This will be an important reference book for practitioners, students, researchers and administrators.

This blind peer reviewed book systematically records, analyses and assesses for the first time in a single volume the implications of the global development and management of professional evaluation for the African continent.The book deals with the most strategic contemporary evaluation themes. Each of these themes contains discussions of theoretical issues illustrated with one or more short case studies, while selected longer case studies and other relevant documentation are also taken up in annexures at the end of the book. The book therefore comprises a guide to best M&E practices for purposes of systematic policy, programme and project evaluations. It is suitable for both professional M&E institutionalisation and capacity-building projects as well as for evaluation information dissemination and education at different levels in the public, private and voluntary sectors in society, especially in a developmental context.

Inadequate electricity services pose a major impediment to reducing extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Simply put, Africa does not have enough power. Despite the abundant low-carbon and low-cost energy resources available to Sub-Saharan Africa, the region s entire installed electricity capacity, at a little over 80 GW, is equivalent to that of the Republic of Korea. Looking ahead, Sub-Saharan Africa will need to ramp-up its power generation capacity substantially. The investment needed to meet this goal largely exceeds African countries already stretched public finances. Increasing private investment is critical to help expand and improve electricity supply. Historically, most private sector finance has been channeled through privately financed independent power projects (IPP), supported by nonrecourse or limited recourse loans, with long-term power purchase agreements with the state utility or another off-taker. Between 1990 and 2014, IPPs have spread across Sub-Saharan Africa and are now present in 17 countries. Currently, there are 125 IPPs, with an overall installed capacity of 10.7 GW and investments of $24.6 billion. However, private investment could be much greater and less concentrated. South Africa alone accounts for 67 IPPs, 4.3 GW of capacity and $14.4 billion of investments; the remaining projects are concentrated in a handful of countries. The objective of this study is to evaluate the experience of IPPs and identify lessons that can help African countries attract more and better private investment. At the core of this analysis is a reflection on whether IPPs have in fact benefited Sub-Saharan Africa, and how they might be improved. The analysis is based primarily on in depth case studies, carried out in five countries, including Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, which not only have the most numerous but also among the most extensive experience with IPPs.