By providing qualified, experienced, hands-on, professional management to companies and public enterprises in Africa, AMSCO is helping to build profitable and sustainable businesses in Africa.

ReConnect Africa speaks to the management services company that is actively looking to recruit African professionals.

RCA: What is AMSCO and what are the organisation's objectives in Africa?

AMSCO BV, the operational arm of the African Training Management Services (ATMS) Project, is a specially constituted vehicle that is wholly equity funded. AMSCO's role is to second interim management skills and experience, for a period of three to five years, to needy African enterprises with a view to producing local successor managers through on-the-job and other training.

The AMSCO managers have, over the last twenty years, helped to improve the competiveness, profitability and sustainability of the companies they have been seconded to. In 2008 alone, AMSCO has created over 13,000 jobs in the private sector. The ATMS project is a regional project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is the executing agency and African Development Bank (AfDB) is regional coordinating agency.

RCA: What kind of companies does AMSCO assist?

It assists African SMEs and commercially operated public enterprises that can afford its services.

By AMSCO's definition, a small company is one that has up to $3 million in turnover and assets while a medium one is up to $15 million.

Companies generating above that figure are considered large companies. They too form part of AMSCO's portfolio.

RCA: What have been some of the challenges AMSCO faces in developing management skills within African companies?

Early termination due to various reasons, mostly culture shock, is a major challenge. AMSCO is looking for professionals who can fit in to modern African businesses and make a long lasting impact on the profitability, competitiveness and sustainability of a company.

RCA: What kinds of career opportunities are available to African professionals working for AMSCO?

They are available in a wide range of sectors. AMSCO has Managers operating in over twenty five countries in twenty sectors of the African economy.

AMSCO tends to recruit for senior management positions.

RCA: What particular benefits do AMSCO managers in Africa enjoy?

AMSCO, as a regional project of the UNDP, passes on certain privileges to their Managers. These include tax free remuneration and related perks such as the importation of duty free vehicles.

RCA: What type of experience and management skills does AMSCO look for?

An AMSCO Manager must be mature, well travelled and possess diversity skills. A wealth of experience that can be passed on to local successors is as important as the ability to transform the fortunes of the company they are recruited to.

RCA: Are there particular countries or industry sectors that offer management opportunities for professionals in Africa?

AMSCO operates in sub-Saharan Africa and, currently, in twenty economic sectors. As a result, the range of opportunities is wide and varied.

RCA: Can you share one or two of AMSCO's notable recent successes in adding value to a business in Africa?

AMSCO has achieved remarkable success in the vast majority of companies where it has been involved. Details of these can be found in our annual report on our website www.amsco.org.

For details of current vacancies with AMSCO, click here

First among Equals

The Premier Group’s vision of empowerment and equity continues to create opportunities for success.

The Premier Group is one of South Africa’s corporate success stories. A profitable and rapidly growing organization, the Premier Group successfully delivers a range of professional services, making it the leader in its field and a recognized employer of choice.

The Premier Group’s core business is the direct marketing of a range of innovative insurance and other value-added products.  It was established in 1994 by Iain Buchan whose vision was to establish an enterprise based on the ethos of empowering people to succeed – regardless of their background or social status.12 years later, the Premier Group has substantially broadened its base and has won the distinction of creating wealth for thousands of its hard-working South African employees, creating what it calls “extraordinary opportunities for ordinary people”.

ReConnect Africa speaks to Belinda Young, Human Resources Director of the Premier Group, about what makes the Premier Group’s employee proposition so compelling.

RCA: The Premier Group has been recognized as one of the best companies to work for in South Africa. What sets Premier Group apart from other companies?

BY: I think that there are two major items that differentiate us: We’re a learning organization and we have a philosophy of putting people first.  We encourage growth and development on a personal level as well as on a broader career/business level. We have spent approximately R10,000 per employee over the past 6 months for personal growth and development courses.  If you had to speak to any one of our employees who have attended some of the courses we expose them to, they will tell you it has changed their lives. We encourage every member of our team to get involved in the growth and development of the company at large, and an example of this is our Leadership Sessions every Friday afternoon where we share thoughts and ideas on company issues such as culture, growth and development, strategy and so on.

We recognize that our people are our biggest asset and without them we would not have a company. One of our overriding goals is to help shift this country and what better way to do that than through the lives of people we touch every day - our employees. Creating opportunities, growth, and wealth and adding real value to people’s lives is our driving force. We now have over 30 guys running their own business and have 600 making their way up to it - and some of them are millionaires!

RCA: The Premier Group has a Charter that sets out its vision and values and the culture that it creates for its people. What are some of the key commitments that the Charter makes?

BY: We are committed to being the very best we can be in everything we do.  We are committed to our employees, businesses partners and the community in which we operate. Our Charter is designed to be a roadmap to help us to achieve our goals in a manner which is in keeping with the ethos and founding principles of this organisation.

RCA: One of the Premier Group’s key achievements has been the creation of empowered business entrepreneurs.  Why has this been the company’s strategy and what has led to its success?

BY: In one, the founder of this business is adamant that he did not want to create something that conformed to standard corporate norms. People who have the drive and energy and dreams to create their own businesses are enrolled within The Premier Group and given the opportunity to achieve what they could not have done in normal employment.

Generally we find that these types of people have the following attributes:

All of these traits have made our business what it is today. We acknowledge that we are far from being perfect and that we face many challenges, however, the calibre and drive of the individuals enrolled in this pioneering journey enables us to meet these challenges. Empowerment gives people the freedom to be creative, make decisions, make mistakes and grow from them. The combination of entrepreneurialism and empowerment is what gives us our creative edge and has thus lead to unbelievable growth and a very successful business.

RCA: The Premier Group includes a broad base of businesses and is going through a period of rapid growth and expansion. Where would you say that key opportunities lie within the company for potential recruits?

BY: Marketing is a key area, primarily because this is the area of our business that has been ignored whilst focusing on a very strong sales drive. We are currently looking for exceptional marketing people with the ability to manage products and brands and take them into a new dimension

I.T. is one of the core strengths of our organisation and we are exceptionally proud of the software that we have developed for our sales and call centre businesses. We are constantly looking for software development engineers who will complement and expand our existing team.

RCA: What makes ‘a Premier person?’ What kind of individuals are you looking for to grow your business and what kinds of skills are important to you when you hire?

BY: We aren’t looking for Premier clones.  We recognize and value diversity and we respect the individualism of our people, however, we expect nothing less than the best from them.  The kind of people we are looking for are people who, first and foremost, share our values.  Individuals who are prepared to take control of their lives, go the extra mile, be prepared to be empowered and to be held accountable.  Team players who show unfaltering commitment, passion for the business and for what they do.  People who we call A players.  People with skills – a high level of comprehension, good communicators, a high level of EQ, at the top of their game and with the capacity for new learning.

RCA: Can you give an example of a success story?

BY: It is always difficult to pick the most successful story as there are so many heroes. Now we have in excess of 50 people who own their own business, none of whom started with any capital, and of which two are earning in excess of R1 million per annum. The success story that stands out is where a young guy arrived late for the morning meeting and, on being reprimanded, apologized because he had so far to walk to work. Upon investigation, it turned out that he was walking 24km to work and walking 24km home! In addition to his 48km to and from work he still had to spend the day in the field, on foot, selling door to door. He could just not afford the transport costs. In spite of this, he ultimately ended up owning his own business and earning a substantial income on an annual basis which has put him in a position to change his life.

RCA: One of your key mission statements is “to be first. To be fair. To be fulfilled.” How do you judge your success in fulfilling this challenge?

BY: We judge our success by constantly measuring the pulse of the company, by the growth and development of our staff - and the business at large - and by how successful we are in living our Charter.

For more information about the Premier Group: http://www.thepremiergroup.co.za/

For details of current job opportunities with the Premier Group, visit ReConnect Jobs: JobsDisplay.jsp?page=1&pagenum=10

Fidelity – Banking on Success in Ghan

Fidelity Bank is one of the leading banks in Ghana today. Formerly Fidelity Discount House, the company has been operating profitably for eight years and, in 2006, became the 22nd bank to be licensed by the Bank of Ghana.

Fidelity’s emergence as a full service bank has seen the fulfillment of the dream of its founder and Chief Executive Officer, Edward Effah.  Under his leadership, Fidelity has, since its inception in 1998, successfully established itself as a leader in its markets in Ghana in terms of reputation, profitability and assets under management.  Owned jointly by a combination of Ghanaian and foreign individual and institutional investors and the Bank’s Executives and under the management of a dynamic, high-calibre team, Fidelity Bank today offers a comprehensive range of products and services to meet the banking and financial needs of both its existing and potential customers.

ReConnect Africa spoke to Edward Effah, formerly based in London as the Group Risk Manager of a derivatives and foreign exchange trader, about the challenges of returning home and Fidelity’s emergence as a highly successful financial business. 

RCA:   As a Chartered Accountant in a successful career with Coopers & Lybrand and then with Rudolf Wolff in the City of London, what inspired you to return to Ghana to set up Fidelity?

EE: A combination of factors inspired my return to set up Fidelity. Key among these was the desire to contribute my quota to Ghana, where the achievement and the returns expected are realisable as you are operating in your own country, and where the sky is the limit.

RCA: Fidelity started as a Discount House and was recently granted its banking license. What have been the benefits to your customers of making this transition to a full bank?

EE:  Fidelity as a Discount House could only offer her customers some limited services as she was not a bank. With the acquisition of the banking license, Fidelity Bank now provides her customers with a one stop financial solution.  The benefits include the provision of current accounts, mortgages, auto loans, other credit facilities, trade offerings, debit cards among others which make banking convenient.  

Our vision is for Fidelity to be a world-class financial institution that provides superior returns for all stakeholders. That means making it the best place to bank for our customers, the best place to invest for our shareholders, the best place to work for our employees and the best benchmark for our regulators to use.

RCA: What would you say differentiates Fidelity Bank from the other banks in Ghana?

EE:  What make Fidelity Bank unique is her deep understanding of Ghana’s banking industry and the adoption of a customised solution-driven approach in meeting the needs of her varied clientele. Additionally, we have invested heavily in technology to ensure that Fidelity is at par with the best in the world.

As a truly Ghanaian bank, we are able offer quick solutions on all banking needs required. Our product portfolio is wide and, therefore, there is product choice.  In addition, Fidelity Bank offers a professional personal service to all her customers and this is because we believe each customer is unique.   We price our products fairly and provide exceptional service to our customers.

Like any major full-service bank, we understand that faster, easier banking can affect the way you run your business and your life. We dare to be different. We're highly experienced, motivated and dedicated to personalised service and we take pride in our cutting-edge product lines and dedicate substantial resources to developing new and better ways to enhance individual and corporate banking experience. Our products provide the best quality and value because we are guided by the belief that “good enough is never good enough”.

RCA: Fidelity Bank has recently recruited further staff. What kind of people do you seek to recruit into the bank and what experience would be seen as particularly useful?

EE:  Each position within the Bank has defined minimum job requirements and specifications and competencies. Our recruitment is guided by that. However, we recognize that in a highly competitive environment such as ours, customer-focused, innovative, forward-thinking, team oriented and analytically astute employees serve as catalysts for organizational effectiveness, and these are the people we seek to recruit. In addition to looking out for people with an appreciable level of intelligence, we look out for people with the potential to be groomed into higher positions – and that is what our Graduate Recruitment Program focuses on.

RCA: Many non-resident Ghanaians and foreign investors are looking for safe and reliable means of investing money in Ghana. How can Fidelity help to address these needs?

EE:  We have a wide range of wealth creation products such as interest bearing Fixed Term deposit, call Account and Money Markets products that Ghanaians abroad can buy. These products are continuously being improved to stay relevant to customers. In addition, Fidelity Bank has two sister firms i.e. Fidelity Asset Management Ltd, whose main objective is to create value for personal as well as corporate investors by investing in the capital and money markets, and Fidelity Capital Partners Ltd who provide specialized venture capital fund management services. 

For further information about Fidelity Bank’s services and career opportunities: www.fidelitybank.com.gh