By: Graeme Bloch (Education Specialist, DBSA) graemeb@dbsa.org

Introduction: Theoretical Issues

This paper examines a policy intervention process, in which the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) played a central facilitating role on behalf of government in drawing up an Education Roadmap for the new incoming government of South Africa.

Questions are raised about the conditions that led to the specific request to DBSA as well as about DBSA’s positioning to participate as credible broker in this education policy development process. The wider social conditions and concerns that opened up space for critical policy development are clearly a part of this complex equation.

In addition, the limitations and specificity of the whole process are identified. This leads to some critical questions relating to follow up and implementation, and thus about the efficacy and impact of the particular policy intervention.

African science researchers and policy advisers have agreed to set up a foundation, endorsed by a range of African-based banks, to promote the use of scientific and other forms of knowledge by both public and private decision-makers in the continent.

The body, to be known as the Knowledge Management Africa (KMA) Foundation, will be under the auspices of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FOR SERVICE DELIVERY IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN PUBLIC SECTOR

• The purpose of this paper is to share with the Conference the findings of the research conducted on Knowledge Management for Service Delivery in the South African Public Sector in 2007/2008 .

• The concern was why is it that after the new Government in South Africa took office in 1994 and have addressed so many of the service delivery challenges, service delivery strikes have continued from the community and public servants perspectives.
• Experiences from different countries (e.g. Canada, United States, Australia, New Zealand) have shown that service delivery through knowledge management can be fast tracked. There is unfortunately no African experience on how knowledge management can be leveraged to improve service delivery.
  

The DBSA/KMAfrica and NEPAD Secretariat will provide financial support for a research project on the development of the framework, which will build on work done by other institutions subscribing to an African renaissance. The DBSA/KMAfrica has pledged to release R1 million towards the partial funding of the research. The second phase of the project will include raising additional funding for investigating the availability of resources and what is on the ground in the five regions, and how the identified centres will be sustained.