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In March 2006 I had the great pleasure of speaking at the 3rd International Quality Conference organised by the National Presidential Programme for Quality and Excellence in Sudan. The conference arrangements were not finalised until quite late as the organisers were determined to obtain the personal support of leading political figures, including the President of Sudan. So when I set off on my first trip to Africa, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. However, the moment I arrived it was clear that a great deal of meticulous planning had gone into the arrangements. I was shepherded from the aircraft to the VIP lounge to be served drinks whilst my bags were collected and the visa arranged. This set the scene for a visit where my hosts went to great lengths The conference was held at the Friendship Hall in the capital Khartoum. The conference theme was ‘Sustainable development in the Sudan of unity and peace in the context of national goals.’ The theme reflected the recent ending of the civil war, and the desire to move the county forwards to the benefit of all of its people. The conference drew a large number of international speakers from the USA, Middle East, Africa as well as the UK. The topics covered were equally varied, ranging sustainability, through to business development and people management issues. As you may be aware, Sudan, the largest country in Africa has recently discovered oil reserves which provide the potential of a platform on which the country can build. A key issue currently faced is the question of how these reserves, which will have a finite lifetime, can be developed in ways that provide a sustainable future for the country.
Government support for the conference was evident from the outset with the conference being opened by the President of Sudan and closed by the Senior Vice President. This provided direct and powerful links between the discussions taking place within the conference, and the country’s decision makers. Underlining this connection, the speakers also contributed to a report for the government detailing recommendations derived from the conference discussions.
It was a pleasant surprise to find that one of my fellow speakers was Irwin Turbitt a friend I had first met as a British Quality Foundation assessor. In addition to the conference, a highlight for me was the rest-day which included a musical evening and my first trip along the River Nile. Both were wonderful experiences and provided a brief but valuable insight into the country, its people and culture. The music evening featured a number of different singing and dance groups representing some of the diverse history and culture of Sudan. As a result of these The conference and trip were full of new experiences, and I hope to have the opportunity to see more of this fascinating part of the world. Many thanks to Prof. Hadi Altigani, Salwa Ibrahim the support staff, fellow speakers and delegates who made the trip so enjoyable and worthwhile.
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to make all of the speakers feel most welcome and to ensure the success of the event. Other firsts I added during the visit were being driven to the conference centre in a presidential car, and I’ve never seen, let alone walked on so much red-carpet.
I had been invited to deliver two papers on the subject of change. The first examined the beneficial use of tools such as the Balanced Scorecard, and the second looking at the key role people play in sustainable change.
Prior to the conference a number of workshops had been held, and both these and the conference were well attended
experiences I was able to change the structure of my second presentation to share how I had been changed by the experience of my visit, and use this as a model to describe people change.