The development of information technology training in Sierra Leone
Abstract
Information Technology for Development Volume 3 Number 2. © 1988 Oxford University Press. The Development of Information Technology Training in Sierra Leone I. I. May-Parker Director, Institute of Public Administration and Management SAR /University of Sierra Leone Freetown Sierra Leone Introduction The Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) commenced operations in 1980 with the primary objectives of meeting the mid-career and senior management training needs in the Private, Public and Parastatal Sectors of the economy in Sierra Leone and the surrounding regions. Included within the Institute's mandate is a requirement to undertake research, consultancy and public education related to training and development in general. The training of accountants and finance officers was perceived to be an important role for the Institute. The high demand for qualified accountants from all sectors of the economy was being exacerbated by the absence, within Sierra Leone, of any structured programme for the training of professionally qualified accountants. A direct result of IPAM's national training programme, to meet Sierra Leone's manpower needs in terms of trained and qualified accounting staff, was the revelation that such a programme could only succeed if an information technology training scheme was introduced in parallel. Accounting and computing