A New KM/Knowledge Services Success in Africa

It is my pleasure to report on the success of SMR International’s latest venture in Sub-Sahara Africa.

For four days in July, Nerisa Jepkorir Kamar, SMR’s representative in Africa, conducted a series of workshops for African information professionals and knowledge workers. These were first KM/knowledge services workshops in Kenya and, as far as we know, the first in Sub-Sahara Africa.

Offered by SMR International in cooperation with Information Africa Organization (IAO), the workshops (described here) were well received, with participants remarking not only on the quality of the content provided but on the importance of the occasion. As noted by one academic leader in Nairobi, “These workshops provide the much-needed link between library and research training and KM/knowledge services. It’s a connection we’ve been waiting for, and we are very happy to learn about this series of programs.”

The programs have been reported at the IAO site, with a special page describing Nerisa Kamar’s background and that of William Mibei, IAO’s Executive Director, both of whom I knew when I lived and worked in Kenya. Both Mr. Mibei and I delivered concluding remarks as the workshop ended (I through the courtesy of Skype). So you can see why I am very pleased to report on the workshops and their success, not only professionally, from the SMR International point of view, but personally. This is an activity among my African friends and colleagus that makes me particularly happy.

Matching the workshop series timeframe, the four sessions were offered under the broad theme of “Knowledge Management/Knowledge Services Workshops for Knowledge Workers,” with the workshops under the leadership of Nerisa Kamar (pictured left). The audience for the workshops was targeted as “individuals in charge of or working with knowledge development, capture, sharing, and dissemination in order to use organization knowledge effectively and efficiently. Knowledge workers keen on learning more about these topics are welcome, and the workshops will particularly benefit librarians, records managers, archivists, and all document managers in Legal, HR, Financial Services, Executive Support, and similar administrative functions.”

The program’s topics were:

• Day One – Knowledge Management and Knowledge Services: KM/KS Fundamentals for Information Professionals
• Day Two – Conducting the Knowledge Audit: Identifying Information and Knowledge Needs
• Day Three – Developing the Knowledge Strategy: Using the Findings of Your Knowledge Audit to Make Your Plans
• Day Four – Building the Knowledge Culture: Establishing the Organization’s Intellectual Capital as Its Primary Asset.

Building on the success of the series, further workshops are planned, including a repeat of this program and a second program, “Coaching Library Staff,” to be offered in Nairobi and in Western Kenya, in Eldoret, all up-coming in September. For further information, contact Nerisa Kamar at Nerisa@smr-knowledge.com.