CYBERJAYA, June 20 (Bernama) -- Civil servants from African countries and beyond may soon be able to follow short-term courses focusing on the transformation agenda being implemented in Malaysia at the Razak School of Government in Putrajaya, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
He said this followed strong interest shown by African leaders at the ongoing Langkawi International Dialogue (LID) 2011 here.
Speaking to reporters at the end of day two of the three-day LID, Najib said the leaders were excited about the Malaysian government's transformation programme outlined in the Government Transformation Plan (GTP) and the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).
"They are keen to send their officers over to learn about the programme indepth. They even want (Minister in the PM's Department) Datuk Seri Idris Jala to visit their countries," he said, adding that this proved that the government's transformation agenda was being recognised by both developed and developing countries.
Earlier, the delegates were given a two-hour briefing on the transformation programme by Idris, who is also the chief executive officer of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU).
The closed-door session was attended by Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Pakalitha Bethuel Mosisili of Lesotho, Swaziland Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso and Kenyan Vice-President Stephen Kalonzo, among others.
Established in 2009, PEMANDU's main objective is to oversee implementation, assess the progress, facilitate and support the delivery system, and drive forward the GTP and ETP.
The day also saw Najib and the African leaders attending a retreat session themed "Future Direction of Smart Partnership/LID" where their discussions centred on topics such as food and energy security, social media for transformation and global movement of the moderates.
Najib said the leaders identified several issues that had contributed to low food production in the African continent.
They include the use of low-yielding seeds, lack of technology, low-skilled workers, irrigation problems and lack of access to credit, he said.
He said the Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management (CPTM) may be able to look into this matter via the "Smart Partnership" concept.
On energy, Najib said a similar approach may be applied to boost energy production in Africa by attracting the participation of the Malaysian Independent Power Producers (IPPs) by way of a viable business model.
He said the leaders were also keen on having Malaysian education institution representation in the African continent.
"They would like to see more Malaysian education institutions set up branch campuses in their countries. There have been specific requests from Kenya and Tanzania," he said.
Najib said he also briefed the leaders on the "Global Movement of the Moderates" towards achieving peace and tolerance, which had been well received by the leaders.
"The president of Tanzania even said that the concept may be useful in efforts to end the conflict in neighbouring Burundi," he added.
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