TANZANIA: Bishops Conference Undergoes Capacity Building and Institutional Governance Training
AMECEA in collaboration with Missio Aachen-Germany and Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), has conducted a workshop on Capacity building to Catholic Bishops of Tanzania on Institutional Governance, Management and Leadership; Sustainability; Catholic Solidarity, Philanthropy and Stewardship.
The five days’ workshop took place from 14 – 19th, January, 2019 at Kurasini Conference and Training Centre in Dar es Salaam. Elaborating about the workshop, the AMECEA Secretary General, Rev. Fr. Anthony Makunde, said that this is a second phase of training which began some years ago when AMECEA felt that there was need for AMECEA bishops to provide excellent leadership with sustainable strategies.
The United States Bishops Conference (USCCB) agreed to cooperate with AMECEA and they sponsored the project. They contacted the University of Notre Dame which organized a meeting held in Kampala, where it was resolved that each Conference within AMECEA region evaluate and monitor their needs in view of capacity building, good governance and self-reliance.
The resolution of the Kampala meeting was that there was need for Bishops to be more competent on leadership issues and self-reliance, and to create a better system in catholic institutions. The United State Bishops agreed to sponsor the trainings, and the first of its kind was held in Nairobi; the second group was for Vicars General, Diocesan Secretaries and Accountants.
‘This training involved a large group of participants and because they come from different countries that differ from legal and various procedures it was considered to be conducted in the respective countries under the supervision of CUEA University in collaboration with Catholic Universities within Conferences members of AMECEA,” said Fr Makunde.
After bishops of United State sponsored these trainings in some good years, this project was closed,” he explained adding that “Later, AMECEA and South Africa’s region called IMBISA made an evaluation of the previous trainings and IMBISA saw the training to be productive. So we agreed to continue with the second phase of the trainings where Missio Aachen agreed to sponsor.
“I, with AMECEA Chairman Bishop Kasonde Germany visited Missio Aachen and other partners in Germany to introduce ourselves as new administration in AMECEA and we had constructive meeting with Missio Aachen President, the Vice President and the Officer for the International Relations regarding this project and other projects which AMECEA is running under Missio sponsorship,” said Fr Makunde.
According to the Secretary General, AMECEA shall have to conduct several trainings like this; for instance, in December 2018, they conducted similar training in Ethiopia; February it will be in Zambia; in March, it will be Uganda after which there shall be an evaluation before proceeding with the other Conferences.
At the training, Fr Makunde took opportunity to remind the bishops on the mission AMECEA and the importance of reviving what AMECEA founding fathers aimed at.
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Sarah Pelaji, TEC
