A CFTC expert in pharmaceutical microbiology instructs a student in Jamaica

The CFTC is able to respond swiftly to requests from member governments for technical assistance and to natural disasters in member countries. It often pursues an integrated approach to training, technical assistance and specialist advice.

Where there are skills shortages, the Secretariat can place experts on assignments ranging from six months’ to three years’ duration. In the last two years the CFTC, responding to demand from member governments, has deployed experts covering areas as diverse as legislative drafting, national planning, health, education, local government, finance and marketing, civil aviation and private sector development.

Assistance was provided to the Government of Brunei Darussalam, for example, in implementing the Insurance Order at the Ministry of Finance, and to Namibia in the development and expansion of aquaculture activities. A gender expert was assigned to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Public Policy Implementation.

To enable more effective participation in multilateral trade negotiations, an economic adviser supported Jamaica’s Chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China in 2005 for one year. A CFTC adviser assisted the Government of Barbados in strengthening the Telecommunications Unit, responsible for legislation, regulation, policy and management of telecommunications services in the country. A training consultant was provided to the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica, to upgrade the skills of electronic media professionals in content standards policy formulation and application. In Guyana, experts have assisted in improving governance by strengthening the institutional capacity of the National Assembly of Guyana for managing national political processes.

An expert in the diagnosis of plant bacterial diseases worked with the Government of Malta’s Plant Health Department to assist in preventing the introduction of pests into Malta. An adviser to Tuvalu’s Ministry of Civil Aviation helped build its capacity to respond effectively to international civil aviation standards. Key outcomes included the development of a Civil Aviation Act and recommendations for further strengthening of the Ministry.

Training programmes

The Secretariat provides relevant skills to the people of the Commonwealth through institutionalised formal courses, workshops and short-term training courses, often delivered through partnerships with regional universities and training institutions.
Pan-Commonwealth training delivered in 2003-2005 included programmes on tourism management, an anti-corruption course, a seminar on managing change and a management development programme in collaboration with the Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators.

In the Pacific region, a series of joint activities implemented with NZAID included seminars on public sector reform in 2004 and 2005. An online action learning project was implemented with the University of Wellington in 2005. This initiative is being extended to other public sector-related training support.

Training of trainers is delivered in a variety of development contexts. In 2003-2005 these included, for example, enterprise development training in Kenya and participatory forest management initiatives in Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia.

In Malawi a results-based project management programme promoted the effective evaluation and impact assessment of technical assistance programmes. Dialogues among the points of contact between the Secretariat and member governments in 2004 and 2005 sought to sensitise them to the Secretariat’s Strategic Plan and programmes to enable the formulation of development proposals aligned to Commonwealth priorities.

Providing skills for poverty alleviation is also an area of high priority. The Secretariat worked with the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh to enable potential replicators and key decision-makers in the Commonwealth to gain a deeper understanding of the Grameen type of micro-credit lending. The Grameen Trust helped provide initial seed money for potential replicators from Cameroon, Ghana and Zambia to start micro-credit lending operations.

The Secretariat sponsors skills enhancement programmes for senior public sector personnel in areas related to Commonwealth priorities. Examples include MBA courses at the University of the West Indies and the University of the South Pacific. Seven students are currently being funded by the Commonwealth to undertake a Certificate programme in Community Development at the SPC Community Education Training Centre in Suva, Fiji Islands. The Secretariat has worked with the Malaysian National Institute of Public Administration and the Singapore Civil Service College to provide support and impetus to national public sector training institutions in the Asia region. In Botswana support has been provided for public sector reforms including the installation and implementation of a senior executive performance management system.