[Interview] Frances Mensah Williams, CEO, Interims for Development, UK
Frances Mensah Williams is British/Ghanaian CEO of Interims for Development, UK. She also serves as Managing Editor, ReConnectAfrica.com, UK.
Her interview with Africa Business Communities:
Would you please introduce Interims for Development?
We are a specialist HR, Training and Coaching consultancy. Although based in the UK, the focus of our work is on Africa and we have worked successfully within a number of African countries on projects relating to management and enterprise training, skills and capacity building, as well as executive coaching and interim and permanent recruitment. Through our online business and careers publication and website, ReConnect Africa.com, we reach out to thousands of professionals in Africa and across the African diaspora. ReConnect Africa is a free portal providing information on business in Africa, careers, jobs and events. It also enables us to showcase new and exciting initiatives by Africans in the diaspora and connect Africans everywhere to the best of the African continent.
In which industries does Interims for Development operate and who are your clients?
We operate across a wide range of industries and our clients range from large multinational corporations such as Diageo Africa and Heineken International to national companies such as Nigerian Breweries and smaller local enterprises. We have also worked with international NGOs including the International Organization for Migration and other public sector bodies on a range of projects in countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
What are the USP’s of your business?
Interims for Development was initially established as a corporate project to provide Interim Managers (short-term experts) support skills development and capacity building within African businesses on a voluntary basis. The business model evolved to include the provision of strategic Human Resources advisory services, enterprise and management training, recruitment and executive coaching. This, in turn, led to a demand for further support for Africans in the diaspora who were seeking opportunities to engage further with Africa and, in some cases, to return to live and work on the African continent.
Due to the breadth of our work and the reach of our online platform, ReConnect Africa, we are uniquely placed to understand the requirements of employers in Africa seeking to attract and develop talent for their African operations, as well as the needs of Africans – and indeed non-Africans – who seek careers or opportunities to establish enterprises within the continent.
Why did you start Interims for Development?
I started the company to address the need for skills development and capacity building within businesses and organizations operating in Africa. Having worked in HR management in Africa for a number of years, it was clear to me that we needed to find innovative approaches to building skills and organizational effectiveness within the nascent and growing businesses on the continent. The immense goodwill and desire on the part of Africans and non-Africans to contribute to Africa’s development was something that we wanted to harness and this led to the development of the Interims programme. With this, skilled professionals were able to offer their services on a quasi-voluntary basis to help companies with strategic projects, training and capability building.
We started ReConnect Africa.com to be able to reach out to Africans around the world and connect them with each other as well as with information, advice and support for their professional development.
What did you do pre-Interims for Development?
I was a senior Human Resources and Training professional for many years. In addition to having worked for blue-chip companies in the UK as well as leading financial institutions in Ghana, I had also undertaken a number of consultancy assignments in other parts of Africa that gave me an in-depth understanding of the scale of the skills challenges facing companies operating on the continent. During the course of my professional career I have written numerous articles and columns and contributed to books, publications and professional websites. I have written two non-fiction books; one is a guide to working in Africa – ‘I Want to Work in Africa: How to Move Your Career to the World’s Most Exciting Continent’ and the other is a collection of interviews with successful black professionals – ‘Everyday Heroes: Learning from the Careers of Successful Black Professionals’. My first novel ‘From Pasta to Pigfoot’, which is set in London and Accra, was recently published by Jacaranda Books.
What other companies/organizations have you founded?
In addition to ReConnect Africa, I also set up SKN Publications, a publishing imprint that focuses on publications for black professionals. Along with a business partner, we also set up a not-for-profit company several years ago called WorkingPlus, which supported women and ethnic minorities in the UK into work and enterprise.
What can be done by entrepreneurs and government to stimulate the business environment in Ghana?
I believe both government and individual businesses have a significant part to play in the development of any country. As a Ghanaian, I have been involved in the past with discussions with organizations such as the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) on initiatives for large-scale training and capability building and finding opportunities for larger companies to take a mentoring role to support the growth of SMEs. There are many ways in which the private sector can boost the contribution it makes to a country’s GDP, irrespective of what African governments are doing.
Governments, in turn, can and should be using their tax revenues to create strong frameworks that support human resources development. This includes the need for intelligent tax policies, progressive talent mobility legislation, education systems that align academia with the needs of business and industry, and more vocational and enterprise training. I also believe that a more targeted, meaningful and consistent approach needs to be adopted by African governments to harness the goodwill, talent and skills of the African diaspora in supporting the development of the continent and their home countries.
What is unique about doing business in/with Africa?
The African continent is huge and offers a wide range of opportunities for those with the energy, vision and tenacity to take up the challenge. The many success stories of entrepreneurs and organizations show that it is possible to succeed in business and to make a positive impact on people’s lives in the process.
It would be naïve not to acknowledge that, as with any frontier economy, there are many areas within Africa where business controls and governmental policies are non-existent, inadequate or unenforced. This presents business risks for those who do not do their research or plan properly. It takes time and patience to understand how the different markets operate and how important culture is to doing business in Africa.
Do you believe Social Media and the Internet to be a plus to the business environment, as it applies to your industry?
Both social media and the Internet have proved to be crucial to our business. ReConnect Africa is a wholly online platform and publication and, if not for the Internet, we would not be able to reach the 92 countries from which our readers come. Social Media has also been invaluable in our support to companies and organizations seeking to recruit for their operations in Africa and I believe that despite some of the negative outcomes they can bring when abused or mis-used, these tools are an invaluable asset for Africa’s development.
What can you say about the targets, plans and ambitions of Interims for Development for the rest of 2015?
Our goal, this and every year, is to continue pursuing new projects, supporting even more businesses with their people-related activities and advising individuals who are seeking to achieve greater professional and personal success, both within and outside Africa.
www.twitter.com/ReConnectAfrica
Africa Business Communities is conducting a series of interviews with CEOs and high-end professionals in Africa. Are you interested in an interview? Please send an e-mail to Andrea Ayemoba: andrea@africabusinesscommunities.com