Developing human capital in Africa: carving a role for human resource professionals and practitioners

Africa is a continent with remarkable economic potential yet the least developed largely due to its inadequate human capital to transform this potential into social and economic development. The focus on provision of classroom education as the cornerstone of human capital development in Africa has not produced the desirable outcomes expected. We see an important role in this process within the workplace, and thus argue that the role of Human Resource (HR) professionals in Human Capital development in Africa deserves serious attention. The paper outlines why and how HR professionals can contribute to the development of Africa's human capital. It also highlights the challenges HR professionals will face and the competencies they will need to address the challenges. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research

Employee advocacy in Africa:the role of HR practitioners in Malawi

Purpose: In recognizing the weakness of trade unions and the lack of an institutional framework designed to enforce employee rights in an African context, this study examines the extent to which HR practitioners are perceived to play the role of employee advocate.Design/methodology/approach: The quantitative data set is derived from a sample of 305 respondents (95 HR practitioners, 121 line managers, and 89 employees) from Malawi.Findings: Despite the challenges of the context, HR practitioners are perceived by key stakeholders (line managers and employees) to be playing the role of employee advocate. Standard multiple regression results indicate that the main factor contributing to the perception that HR practitioners are playing this role is their contribution to ‘motivating employees’.Research limitations/implications: The study was conducted in Malawi. Further research is necessary to explore the generalizability of the findings to other contexts.Originality/value: The findings provide an empirical base for future studies which explore perceptions of the employee advocacy role undertaken by HR practitioners in Africa

SME Policy Formulation and Implementation in Africa: Unpacking Assumptions as Opportunity for Research and Innovative Policies

The increasing acknowledgement of the role of SMEs in economic growth and reducing unemployment in SSA brings forth the need for research into understanding the role and impact of the SME policy and its outcomes. However, the lack of adequate critical examination of the current SME policies across SSA as well as the absence of a holistic conceptual framework has put limitations on the further development of literature in the field. In this article, we have attempted to critique the existing assumptions underpinning the SME policy. We have also advanced a conceptual framework and propositions to enable the holistic research that can shed more light on our understanding of the interactions between SME policies, the business environment (context), the entrepreneur, and policy outcomes. Finally, we proposed research questions and an agenda that should guide future research

Employees' preferences for payment systems

Includes bibliographical referencesAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DX218317 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo