Tanzania: Mzumbe Dar Campus Trains on Change Management

MZUMBE University has all reasons to thank President John Magufuli for initiating industrialisation drive as a change to bring development and raise the

country's economy, that was said in Dar es Salaam by the institution's Senior Lecturer, Omary Swalehe.

While running a three-day training on Change Management in Logistics and Supply Chain funded by Kuehne Foundation in the city, Dr Swalehe further said the seminar would build capacity of participants, who are stakeholders in making the industrialisation drive become possible.

He said the training that imparts skills on change management in logistics is applicable and the foundation of any business to run professionally and equips stakeholders with the right knowledge on how to manage changes, which must be contained or phase out a player not willing to change.

" For three consecutive years Kuehne Foundation has been sponsoring such trainings freely in the country through us as facilitators, but it's unfortunate that attendance has been poor, unlike in Ethiopia, I remember a national must pay 400 USD to attend one and you will find a Hall is filled to the capacity. Here (Tanzania) it is the opposite, with many only turning out to enquire if they would also be paid allowances, when they attend. "

Logistics and supply chain knowledge is important in the economy, because it imparts professional insights on what to do in business, especially in the modern economy, where everyone must keep pace with changes," pointed out the don.

While opening the threeday workshop, Mzumbe University Dar es Salaam Campus, Prof Honest Ngowi, said it's worthy for the business community, academicians and stakeholders as well as the general public to realise that a change must be managed, or else one sticking to a particular dogma as a system to survive would find oneself not competing, adding: "Business must be re-engineered for one to sail through."

On her side, Kuehne Foundation Country Coordinator in Tanzania, Beatrice Millu, said they thought of funding the training among others as a plough back to the community, where the trust foundation's founder, Prof Klaus-Michael Kuehne was doing business.

" Historically, Kuehne has been contributing freely in the community on humanitarian grounds, especially to build the capacity of professionals like doctors and institutions that is why we have been sponsoring Mzumbe as a conduit to impart such knowledge. All the trainings are free for all participants, hence, they should turn out enmasse to gain," she added.

Reached for a comment, another faciliatator, Bosco Mapunda, who is a Consultant in Supply Chain Management said such training is important in the country that is why the President also introduced a change in e-payments to collect taxes, adding: "However, I advise the general public to note that changes should be managed professionally.

However, one of the participants in the training, Veronica Kyando from Mzumbe University Dar Campus appealed to fellow students and academicians as well as the business community to tap the chance and attend such trainings, which have a lot of capacity building to them.