KWAZULU- NATAL is hosting the FNB Academy for Municipal Excellence (FAME) this week. The three-day workshop started on 6 March and sees senior municipal officials from across KwaZulu-Natal local government gather at the Gateway Hotel in Umhlanga.
The public-private partnership has been running for three years and aims to provide valuable insights into key administrative and operational challenges.
Commenting on this year’s event, KZN MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nomusa Dube said, “Local government is the closest touchpoint communities have with the state and it is at this level that we need consistently monitor our level of impact to the people we serve. FAME acts as a platform through which we can share information and formulate strategic partnerships that will inform how we respond to governance challenges at municipal level”.
The workshop aims to inculcate SME development, strategic collaboration, infrastructure funding, community and business engagement, and disaster management, as well as broadening the skills base of local government officials.
Kgosi Ledimo, CEO of FNB Public Sector Banking, said, “We are encouraged by how the programme has been received over the years and its success is proof that there’s room for strategic public-private partnerships that will ultimately impact the lives of South African communities”.
“As the needs of our communities change local government must adapt and be able to respond appropriately, but this cannot be done without knowledge sharing, and that’s exactly what this programme aims to accomplish.”
The 2018 programme kicked off in the Eastern Cape and after the KZN workshop, the next FNB Academy for Municipal Excellence will be held in Gauteng from 10 to 12 April 2018.