Journal of Social Development in Africa (1993), 8,1,89-103 
Book Reviews 
Administering Management Development Institutions in Africa, Kami Rwegasira, 
Published by GowerPubUshingCo.Ltdl988.HaidbackŁ19,50,ISBN0566 
05501,112pp. 
This is a well thought out book on how to administer management institutions in 
Africa. The book is based on the author's personal experience and interviews with 
senior and top level management in Eastern and Southern Africa 
The book is divided into six chapters, each focusing on distinct aspects or 
issues which are challenges to various people involved in management development 
institutions. 
In the first chapter, the author examines some of the underlying assumptions 
in economic background and dependence on developed economic systems. 
This appears to be a serious underlying assumption because most African countries, 
like most Third World, countries engage into heavy borrowing and wasteful 
use of the borrowed funds.This is due to lack of internal consistent and well 
integrated plans and weaknesses in management and the implementation process. 
However, some economies have tried to live with this problems but not others. 
Some countries may not have access to aid although they may be good users of 
borrowed funds. 
Another underlying assumption is deverse political ideologies. Here it is 
cited that dominant political ideology will determine the extent of social responsibility 
and accountability expected from the management development institutions. 
Socio-economic environment is yet another underlying assumption. In 
Africa, diversity of religious beliefs does influence the attitude of executives 
towards their functions and responsibilities as well as the approaches they use. 
Tribal ethnic values is another assumption.The author argues that different 
tribes have differing mental or conceptual predispositions towards business, training 
and further education. He cites the Ibo of Nigeria and Baganda of Uganda to 
be positively oriented towards education while the Maasai and Acholi are warlike 
and considered nomadic.In the latter case training and business may not be 
positively conceived. 
The final assumption considered here is low technological environment 
There is dependency on foreign ideologies which have strings attached. It is urged 
that technology transfer is haphazardly administered through management agreements 
and where research is supported there is insufficient resources in terms of
90 Book Reviews 
manpower and finance. 
The essential phase of these assumptions is that when examining the 
problems of administering management development institutions one has to bear 
in mind that these assumptions are the basis upon which problems are built. These 
assumptions can assist in understanding the problems faced and how to resolve 
them. These assumptions seem to play correlated roles in understanding management 
development institutions in Africa. 
In Chapter Two the author explains the practical problems in training, 
research and consultancy and attempts to offer solutions on how to deal with each 
problem/The problems discussed in the chapter include poor identification of 
needs examination leakages.For each of these problems, the author has also 
suggested possible ways of handling these problems. For instance, on pages 16 
and 17 he has given a guide to task analysis and design of management training 
programmes. 
Perhaps the other problems would be better understood or be of practical 
.value if they were given guidelines. In this chapter the author has also discussed 
research obstacles and predicaments. These include absence of top management 
support, limited supportive services, lack of appropriate skills, lack of incentive 
and motivation and data problems and consultancy issues. He adequately analyses 
these problems. All these problems are serious but one would have expected some 
kind of ranking in order of seriousness.1 personally consider lack of top management 
support as being the most serious problem because the figure at the top will 
determine the direction of how to solve the rest of the problems. This is quite true 
even in the management of institutions where researches and degrees are offered. 
In this chapter he has given a concluding remark which states that correct strategies 
and frequent examination and redefinition of strategies are required for successful 
operation of management development institutions in Africa. 
Chapter Three deals with faculty issues/This chapter is concerned with 
attracting and maintaining qualified staff. Proper policies on recruitment and 
motivation of employees enhance the image of an institution. The author cites that 
an administrator who causes frustration to his staff will be left with second-rate 
staff since the best tend to leave first and fastbecause they are demanded elsewhere. 
Close examination of these issues reveals that the figure at the top will either 
strengthen or destroy a otherwise good institution. In the chapter it is argued that 
some administrators hate ambitious young indigenous officers who might be 
considered competent He cites that positions remain unfilled due to poor recruitment 
policies and in some institutions, chairmen are not appointed on the basis of 
respect commanded from peers/The author argues that to attract staff it is not 
enough to provide monetary reward.The conditions of work, terminal benefits,
BookReviews 91 
fringe benefits and challenges presented in the assignment matter a great deal. 
Finally, it is argued that the overall institution and well-being are important factors 
in enhancing its overall image. 
Chapter Four is concerned with strategic twist. The author provides reason 
why the Western theories may not be relevant to African settings. It is argued that 
in order to transform the Western management technology into dynamic innovative 
institutions top management of these institutions should embark on relevant 
research strategy. The strategy adopted would influence the general administrative 
tactics including internal structures and rewards. Top management should strike a 
compromise between old roles and new roles knowledge building. The twist in 
strategy implies a change from training leading to research guided work. The 
researcher should have drive, commitment, strategic vision, creativity, willingness 
to take risks plus administrative aptitude. 
The role of the Chief Executive Officer is discussed in Chapter five. His 
primary role is to undertake strategy manoeuvres and steering of the whole 
organisation.However, his role will vary depending on the structure of the 
organisation. In a small organisation the Chief Executive Officer may design 
trainingprogrammes with support of several employees andrely heavily on outside 
staff who are not salaried but paid a fee. In large organisations the situation is different, 
the role will be basically administrative but monitoring what is happening 
at lower levels. 
In Chapter Six the author focuses on the future of Africa.Here it is indicated 
that moves and strategies for the future should be drawn up now. There should be 
projections in the future despite the fact that there are uncertainties and greater 
risks. The author argues that the future of Africa will largely depend on the actions 
and moves of people along with their leaders. Managers should be ready to meet 
challenges of the rapidly changing needs and redrafting of programmes to sustain 
the momentum of change and the right direction of change in Africa. In this case 
people in leadership should be honest. 
This book has a number of shortcomings. One of these shortcomings is that 
the title seems to be misleading. Whereas the title reads Administering Management 
Development Institutions in Africa, most of the work is on Eastern and 
Southern Africa. The authors's interviews and practical problems were concentrated 
on Eastern and Southern Africa. The title would be appealing if western and 
Northern Africa were di scussed. The second-shortcoming is that the book does not 
have checklists, for instance, on how to evaluate the appropriateness of training 
programmes and viable researches.Third, chapters one and six do not have a 
conclusion. It seems this was intentional but a conclusion on each would make the 
book have uniformity.
92 Book Reviews 
Despite the above shortcomings the book can prove useful to a number of 
users. One of these are the administrators at senior and top level management in 
management development institutions and associated decision making and policyformulating 
organs in both private and public sectors of the economy. For instance, 
management in public universities and public corporations can learn how to 
manage their organisations better. Some of these organisations are on the verge 
of collapse unless swift action is taken/The book is also useful to teachers, and 
students in management and administration. Finally, the book is also useful to 
lecturers and general readers interested in the subject of Business Administration 
or personnel management One would notice that most university lecturers tend 
to concentrate more on Western neoclassical theories, some of which are of little 
value to Africa settings. This title would be able to assist such academicians to 
relate neoclassical theories as those of Fredrick Taylor, Henry Fayol, Max Weber, 
Elton Mayo to Africa's management issues and problems. 
Reviewed by Mr G S Namusonge, Senior Lecturer and Director, Institute for 
Human Resources Development, Jomo Kenyatta University College of Agriculture 
and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya. 
Psychotherapy and the Poverty Patient, (1990) E Mark Stern (ed), The Haworth 
Press, New York, London. 
The Editor,Mark Stern,claims that this monograph takes a wide angled look at a 
mottled contemporary issue which presents both clinical and philosophical challenges 
to the practitioner. The book is compiled of the views of sixteen therapists 
from various schools of thought and disciplines based sometimes on their clinical 
experience and/or philosophy and sometimes on research. Although it is based 
mainly on the American experience, much of it can be transferred in principle to 
a third world context and does provoke thought 
The article "Power and Poverty in Psychotherapy by Jorge A Montijo 
argues that there is no great distinction between psychotherapy with the poor and 
psychotherapy in general but stresses the importance of substituting the poor/ 
affluent dichotomy for a dialectical analysis that contemplates the poverty or 
relative poweriessness of the more affluent therapists, together with the inherent 
capacity for empowerment and liberation of the dispossessed. He says that when 
the therapist shares power and faces their own relativepowerlessness they promote 
empathy, community and personal growth. 
Kaisa Puhakka distinguishes between the poverty patient who does not 
have 'things" and the impoverished patient who experiences a sense of not having,