Safri

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Eddie Kaluwa, founder of Combine Cargo, Blantyre/Malawi. Since participating in his first SAFRI Workshop in 2003, his freight service company has
expanded extensively and today partners with companies across the globe.
Following the Route
to Success Together
SAFRI’s Journey to Excellence (J2Ex) program, developed by Mapili GmbH, and supported by Daimler AG, is aimed at establishing excellent management practices among companies and economic
institutions, and at promoting an entrepreneurial mindset.
Since 1998, the Southern African Initiative of
German Business (SAFRI) has been promoting
business skills for people and companies based
in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). In this way, SAFRI plays an active
role in boosting competitiveness, creating jobs,
improving the standard of living and developing
and improving opportunities for investment and
trade. Between 1998 and 2011 activities in line
with the fields described above, were carried
out in 11 of the 15 SADC countries. Individuals
and companies interested in participating in
the J2Ex program can choose from a range of
workshops.
Take Charge of Your Business! (TCYB)
Take Charge of Your Life! (TCYL)
The TCYB workshops support small and mediumsized enterprises in the strategic development of
their company activities. The TCYL workshops are
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SAFRI: Journey to Excellence (J2Ex)
plan listing the most important goals to be
achieved by the company. Ideally, the implementation of this action plan is supported by local Business Mentors who have also been trained
in a program that has been specially developed
by J2Ex.
A training for J2Ex Facilitators is offered and is
vital for ensuring the sustainability of SAFRI projects, particularly in connection with the hugely
popular TCYB and TCYL workshops.
Brian Arendse, Managing Director of BA Motor Rewinders, Bulawayo/
Zimbabwe, points out the construction progress of his company – a goal
developed through the J2Ex plan – to Tapiwa Majaka from Stanbic Bank.
focused on individuals interested in going into
business – be they ambitious youngsters or managers looking to expand their business horizons.
Strategic Alignment
These workshops provide management teams
with the opportunity of conducting a critical
review of their company’s strategic focus and
alignment, with the goal of developing plans
for improvement.
Organizational Self-Assessment
These workshops are aimed at managers whose
companies already have a well-defined organizational structure and who would now like to take
the next step by questioning the status quo and
developing new approaches. The workshops
are based on the EFQM Excellence Model, an
internationally recognized management tool.
The workshops provide an objective evaluation
of a company’s strengths and reveal any weaknesses.
A Strong Partner on the Path to Excellence
All Journey to Excellence (J2Ex) workshops conclude with the formulation of a detailed action
SAFRI consistently implements the Journey to
Excellence program in collaboration with local
partners. These can be organizations with the
mandate of supporting small and medium-sized
enterprises, non-governmental organizations
whose goals are congruent with SAFRI’s, universities, or other educational establishments, participating companies, consulting firms etc.
Project Details
In addition to the services mentioned, the J2Ex
program also includes workshops on related
topics.
Follow J2Ex on facebook under:
J2Ex – The Journey to Excellence
Authors
Nina Mapili
Andreas Wenzel
Contact
Nina Mapili
J2Ex Program Developer
and SAFRI Consultant
Tel.: +49 (0)172 9586271
[email protected]
www.mapili.com
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A real-life example: the Namibian consultancy firm adforceDDB
“Excellence Means Movement”
A real-life example: Thanks to J2Ex adforceDDB, a consultancy firm in the field of strategic communications
based in Windhoek, Namibia, was able to multiply its revenue.
The Namibian company adforce had already existed
for five years by the time its management decided
to take part in the J2Ex program. Once involved
with J2Ex, business was set in motion at the small,
emerging company. As soon as the two managing
directors had come to terms with the idea of management on the basis of concrete facts and agreed
on concepts for strategic goals and a corporate
mission, they set about restructuring their company.
A Vision that Pays Off
Not long after working with the J2Ex specialists,
in 2008, adforce was voted Namibia’s best
communications agency. Annual revenue had
doubled, and the services provided to customers
by the company had improved significantly.
Before taking part in J2Ex, adforce had 12
employees. Now it already has 27. The company
also has an HR development plan and internship
programs.
Creativity Spells Success!
Today, adforce is part of the
DDB network, a global
community for the creative
industries full of innovative ideas, and as such
goes by the name of
adforceDDB. DDB is
built on the fundamental
belief that creativity is the
most important factor in
business. The new head
office at Ausspannplatz in Windhoek
is the pride of
the company, and also part of the strategic plan
aimed at showing: We are here to stay!
Exchange of Knowledge between Continents
adforceDDB is already looking forward to the
next five years of its journey with J2Ex. “J2Ex still
helps us to stay on track, and to remember that
instead of being a static target, excellence means
staying on the move”, says Abius Akwaake,
founder of adforce.
adforceDDB has also taken on the role as one
of SAFRI’s strategic communication partners,
and it supported the German initiative with the
implementation of a strategic planning workshop
in Berlin in July 2011.
In this way J2Ex does not only assist with
transferring skills from Germany to Namibia, but
an equitable partnership has also been created
by sourcing Namibian consultancy services to
Germany.
Andreas Wenzel and Nina Mapili in collaboration with
Abius Akwaake and Femi Kayode (adforceDDB)
www.adforceddb.com
Abius Akwaake (left) and Femi Kayode (right)

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