Management Development Programs in Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa

The effectiveness of management development in the improvement of productivity is well established in many developed countries. This powerful tool in the search for managerial effectiveness and efficiency, has become more and more popular among developing countries. However, to be effective, it has to integrate the social reality of these countries. This article analyses management development in sub-Saharan Francophone African countries by putting an emphasis on the cultural dimension. It points out the main cultural factors that have to be taken into account, describes how these apply to the management development process and concludes with recommendations for management development needs analysis, objectives, design and implementation, and evaluation.