AAPAM drafted its five year strategic plan between September 2001 and October 2002. 
The Draft Plan which covers the period 2003 – 2007, was tabled at the AAPAM Annual Roundtable Conference held on 25 – 29 November 2002 in Maseru, Lesotho where it was discussed and finally adopted by the delegates attending the Conference Copies are now available for circulation to members and interested parties.

AFRICAN ASSOCIATION FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT (AAPAM)
STRATEGIC PLAN   2003 - 2007
OCTOBER 2002

PREAMBLE

The executive Committee meeting held on 12th September 2002 in Nairobi, Kenya discussed the draft strategic plan.  It recommended its revision to: -

    Give ownership to AAPAM
    Reflect target groups of AAPAM's services and products
    Identify current issues to be addressed in areas of governance and poverty reduction.
    Highlight emerging challenges
    Relate the implementation plan to strategic issues developed
    Base requirements of resource projections and past income/expenditure trends.

I.   GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

AAPAM was established in 1971 to:
    Promote forum for exchange of ideas and Experiences
    Foster professionalism in public administration and management
    Promote research on topical issues
    Foster affiliation and maintain liaison with other development institutions.

II.   MANDATE

To pursue its goals and objectives, AAPAM is mandated to: -
    Establish standing committees for research and documentation
    Publish journals
    Collect, exchange and distribute documents of interest to its members and clients.
    Provide consultancy services
    Promote an inter-country scheme of exchange of public servants and managers.

III. VISION AND MISSION

Vision

AAPAM's Vision is:
    To become the leading professional Association for African Public Administrators and Managers

Mission

Its mission is:
    To promote and spearhead best practice and professionalism in Public Administrations and
       Management in Africa.

IV.  CORE VALUES

To achieve its mission and vision, AAPAM embraces the following core values:
    Commitment to enhancement of quality public service delivery.
    Commitment to Research and Development
    Respect for contributions by individual member states
    Results - orientation
    Transparency and accountability
    Commitment to teamwork

V.   TARGET GROUPS

The following are direct beneficiaries of AAPAM's services and products:
    African Governments
    Public Service Administration Institutions
    Individual and Corporate Members
    International Organizations engaged in development activities
    Donor agencies
    Non-Governmental Organizations
    Community Based Organizations
    Women and Youth Groups
    The general public

VI. ACHIEVEMENTS

AAPAM has made tremendous strides achieving its goals and objectives in the following areas:
    Accumulation and dissemination of large volumes of literature on public administration and
       management.
    Publication and distribution of research findings on topical issues.
    Sharing of experiences and exchange of ideas among members through annual conferences, seminars        and workshops on public administration and management among member states.

VII. CONSTRAINTS

AAPAM is handicapped by the following constraints in its operations.

(i)  Relatively Weak Institutional Capacity Resulting from:
    Low attraction and retention of qualified staff, including researchers;
    Lack of well-defined systems of command;
    Unclear job descriptions for staff;
    Weak linkages between the Parent Association and its National Chapters;
    Lack of manuals and operational guidelines, e.g. Financial and
    Accounting Procedures.

(ii)  Narrow Market for Services and Products Due to:
    Weak collaboration and networking with bilateral and multilateral donor agencies, NGOs and other
       organizations;
    Inadequate research on impact of changes taking place among member states;
    Stiff competition from other emerging associations and other bodies in pursuing similar goals and
       objectives and;
    Narrow diversification and low quality for services and products.

(iii)  Weak Financial Base Due to:
    Dwindling donor funding;
    Declining number of member states paying annual subscription/subventions regularly and;
    Inadequate exploitation of internal income generating opportunities.

(iv)  Poor Adaptation to Advances in Modern Information and communication
       Technology Due to: -
    Lack of qualified personnel and appropriate staffing at the secretariat;
    Lack of comprehensive database on research findings and
    Weak linkages and collaboration arrangements with strategic partners.

(v)  Weak Mechanisms for Monitoring and Evaluation Due to: -
    Lack of periodic surveys on end-user needs;
    Weak internal information Management systems and
    Inadequate staffing of qualified personnel at the secretariat

VIII. WAY FORWARD

In order to achieve its mission, it is necessary for AAPAM to:

(i) Strengthen its capacity by:
    Establishing appropriate organizational structures and optimal staffing levels at the Secretariat;
    Bridging the legal gaps in organizational management structures to enhance internal governance;
    Reactivating the pool of technical personnel to carry out research and consultancy activities for
       dissemination to member states and other stake holders and
    Enhancing capacity of national chapters and strengthening linkages with the Parent Association.

(ii) Expand markets for products and services by: -
    Carrying out market surveys to identify customer needs;
    Being proactive and aggressively market existing consultancy capacity and publications;
    Attracting and retaining new markets by providing value for money through quality and reliable products        and services;
    Using modern marketing techniques by establishing and using a website facility and
    Identifying and penetrating new markets by aggressively marketing existing consultancy capacity and
       publications.

(iii)  Achieve Financial Self-Sufficiency and Sustainability by:
    Identifying and engaging in a wide range of income generating activities that fall within AAPAM'S
       MANDATE to support its operations;
    Encouraging the current membership to pay their annual subscriptions and subventions;
    Expanding membership by reaching out to a wider clientele;
    Strengthening collaboration with development partners and
    Developing and enforcing internal expenditure control systems.

(iv)  Adapt to Advances in Modern Information and Communication Technology
       (ICT) by:
    Identifying operational areas to benefit from ICT systems;
    Carrying out systems analysis;
    Undertaking a systems design appropriate to AAPAM'S needs and
    Establishing an ICT system

(v)   Undertake Continuous Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) by:
    Developing appropriate M & E systems;
    Operationalizing the M & E systems;
    Carrying out periodic surveys covering a wide range of issues;
    Developing appropriate databases;
    Carrying out data analysis and disseminate results to target users, through regular stakeholder
       consultative forums.

VIII. RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

(i) Income and Expenditure Trends

AAPAM's Income and Expenditure trends, 1996 - 2001 (US$ '000)

Resource Projections

Projections of AAPAM's financial needs and resource gaps, 2003 - 2007 (US $'000)