Creating measurable and sustainable employment in Madagascar
PRESS RELEASE
Creating measurable and sustainable employment in Madagascar
14 August, 2014: Consulting engineering and project implementation firm Hatch Goba has displayed its commitment to the localisation of skills development and long-term job creation in Madagascar, after transforming its regional office in the country from an entirely expat-based workforce - to one that is 95 percent local - within the space of just four years.
Hatch Goba Site and CAPEX Manager Yanick Laliberté notes that the office was originally established in 2010 in Fort Dauphin to provide project management services directly to QMM – an ilmenite and zircon mining operation jointly owned by Rio TintoQIT Madagascar Minerals and the Malagasy state.
“The branch was originally comprised entirely of expats from South Africa and Canada. As it began to establish a more permanent position in the country, emphasis was placed on localising the staff base. The Fort Dauphin team currently consists of 15 professionals in various disciplines,” he states.
Six engineering staff are responsible for project management and design, and three construction specialists are responsible for construction,health, safety, environmental and quality (HSEQ) management. What’s more, Laliberté indicates that six project services employees manage administration, document control, procurement, logistics, business development and human resources.
“The combined expertise of the team ensures that they are able to effectively manage capital expenditure (CAPEX) projects from pre-feasibility study up to implementation. We aim to become a world class project team, and to achieve this objective, we need to improve our competency and skills, sustain and reinforce our client relations and meet the current CAPEX budget,” he adds.
Despite the overwhelming success of the Fort Dauphin office transformation programme to date, Hatch Goba Industrial Minerals Director and Project Manager Giulio Capuzzimati admits that a number of challenges have been encountered. “When the need for a local office in Madagascar was recognised, there was concern that local staff could be isolated from the rest of the organisation.”
As a result, Capuzzimati highlights the fact that training and development of the Malagasy staff has been a priority for Hatch Goba. “Shortly after starting at the company, all of the employees were brought to the Johannesburg office for internal training, which was developed to ensure that they were successfully integrated into the global company.”
In addition, Hatch Goba offers Malagasy staff external training. For individuals focusing on a specific field, such as project management or engineering, Hatch Goba has put in place a training programme that enables them to study through institutes and training organisations in South Africa.
To ensure that the Malagasy staff have access to all the experience and knowledge that they may require, Hatch Goba is also currently in the process of establishing a global mentorship programme. This programme will give employees the opportunity to spend an extended period of time at the Hatch Goba offices in Johannesburg, South Africa, or the Hatch offices in Montreal, Canada.
The aim is to establish a formal mentorship programme within the company where experts in the various fields can act as mentors to the younger and less-experienced staff members. “It’s not only focused on technical mentoring, but also on career development choices and decisions,” says Capuzzimati.
Another challenge has been the language barrier, as French and Malagasy are the dominant languages in Madagascar. To improve communication between the Malagasy staff and the English-speaking South African mentors, English lessons are being offered to the local team.
Laliberté notes that the transformation programme has proven to be highly effective, as Hatch Goba was recently awarded another three year contract by QMM for all onsite and offsite EPCM services for CAPEX projects. “This sign of continued trust and satisfaction is proof that we are committed to transformation without compromising on efficiency. Bearing this in mind, the Fort Dauphin branch should feature a 100 percent Malagasy workforce by the end of 2014.”
Looking to the future, Laliberté believes that there is potential for growth across Madagascar. “Our proven success with QMM has opened up the opportunity for us to expand our service offering to other clients across the region. If local development continues at this rate, I am confident that the potential for growth in Madagascar will be unlimited,” he concludes.
Ends.
Notes to the Editor
There are numerous photographs specific to this press release. Please visit http://media.ngage.co.za and click on the Hatch Goba link.
About Hatch Goba
Hatch Goba supplies process and business consulting, information technology, engineering, procurement and project and construction management and operational services to the mining, metallurgical, energy and infrastructure industries.
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