Nuffic grants OKP TMT+ project in Sierra Leone to MSM

Together with the Government Technical Institute (GTI) in Sierra Leone MSM will work towards a ‘fit for purpose’ Polytechnic, delivering WASH focused vocational and technical training and education.

As the demand for technical and vocational training in water and sanitation is intensifying in Sierra Leone, the lack of WASH professionals and necessary knowledge, experience and specialist skills is high. To meet the rising demand from the nations’ two water utilities, Guma Valley Water Company (Guma) and The Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO) the skills shortage needs to be addressed.

As Guma is upgrading its organization, infrastructure and business practices, modern small town water supply systems are planned for urban centres outside Freetown. In addition, the crisis in Freetown’s sewage, sanitation and waste management forces the Government and its users to modernize current equipment and practices. Hence, also the teaching staffs’ knowledge and skills as well as facilities need upgrading.

For the project, ‘Strengthening WASH Expertise in Sierra Leone’ MSM will support GTI’s transition from a TVET college to a Polytechnic college making relevant strategic inputs to MEST policies, taking a strategic view of the TVET sector in WASH and develop the capacity to undertake relevant applied research. The WASH focused vocational and technical training and education will be geared to the needs of students in the context of Sierra Leone’s current WASH development priorities and the requirements of the private sector, Government and NGOs.

To solve the knowledge and skills problem of GTI MSM will help GTI through a process of organization reform, and setting a direction for the new Polytechnic. MSM will train the senior GTI team in the fundamentals of Polytechnic/University management and develop their core competencies in a.o. project management, use of date in decision-making, team building and business planning for education and training service providers. MSM will also share skills and knowledge through ‘on the job’ coaching and mentoring of GTI senior staff as they undertake the organization reform.

Lastly, as part of the process of helping GTI through the organization reform, MSM will support through technical assistance and the establishment of the systems and processes that support Applied Research and help establish one or two WASH research projects.

The project will run from February 2019 until January 2021 and will be coordinated by Huub Mudde, Project Consultant / Lecturer in Institutional Entrepreneurship at MSM and Joel Cutting, International Development Advisor.

Nuffic Orange Knowledge Programme
The Orange Knowledge Programme aims to contribute to a society’s sustainable and inclusive development by offering access to education and training to professionals and organizations.

Other OKP tenders granted recently to MSM are in Colombia, Rwanda, Egypt, Uganda and Ethiopia.

MSM will manage project to end impunity on sexual and gender based violence in Uganda

Improvement of agricultural vocational education in Ethiopia

Nuffic grants food & nutrition security tender in Rwanda to Maastricht School of Management