Victoria University Ushers In IP3 Courses

IP3 At Victoria University

Victoria University has continued its quest to provide quality education by ushering in IP3 courses at the Jinja Road based campus.
Showbiz Uganda chatted with Mr. Oscar Kamukama, a Chartered Marketer by Profession and the Marketing & Recruitment Specialist at Victoria University Kampala. Below are his experts..Read on

SB: Why did Victoria University Kampala initiate a partnership with Washington DC based leading provider IP3?
Oscar: At Victoria University, our market intelligence identified a strong need in the Public Sector arena and specifically in the area of Public-Private Partnerships. We listened to the Public Sector in Uganda and the region and noticed that Public Sector practitioners were required to travel to Washington DC to attain PPP Certification to become PPP Specialists. Fast forward, today we have an Internationally Accredited Institute in Uganda to serve an IP3 Centre to serve the East African Region through which Public Private Partnership (PPP) Certifications will be taught and be issued jointly by IP3 Washington & Victoria University.

Oscar Kamukama, Marketing & Recruitment Specialist Victoria University Kampala

SB: Briefly tell us about IP3?
Oscar: The Institute for Public-Private Partnerships (IP3) is a Washington DC leading training provider and advisor to governments, financial institutions and public services providers in the growing international infrastructure marketplace. IP3 assists public sector clients build enabling environments for Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), prepare and tender PPP projects, develop monitoring and enforcement capacity through effective infrastructure regulatory institutions, commercialize or corporatize public service providers, and introduce good governance and accountability standards across government services.
SB: For a layman, what does Public Private Partnerships mean?
Oscar: PPPs are typically medium to long term arrangements between the public and private sectors whereby some of the service obligations of the public sector are provided by the private sector, with clear agreement on shared objectives for delivery of public infrastructure and/ or public services. These schemes are sometimes referred to as PPP, IP3 or P3. Victoria University is offering training in this specialised area.

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SB: How are Victoria University IP3 Courses Pivotal to the East African COMESA Utility Business?
Oscar: Utilities are constantly under pressure to reduce costs, improve service delivery and expand capacity. To do so, requires focused attention on financial, managerial, and technology planning within the Utility Management Teams. To address the challenges of managing a “competitive” utility, Victoria University and IP3 provide a suite of classroom courses; The Key training areas for utilities include: Restructuring, commercializing, and corporatizing utilities; Corporate governance planning and implementation; Utility financial management, budgeting and investment planning; Customer service and stakeholder communication strategies; Employee redeployment and workforce productivity; E-government and IT solutions to expand and improve services.

SB: Who can become Certified as a Utility PPP Specialist at Victoria University Kampala?
Oscar:
• Public Servants/Local Government Officials responsible for planning, managing, and monitoring public-private partnership programs;
• Institutional Government Agencies responsible for planning and financing public-private partnerships programs;
• Legal Practitioners (designing, developing and implementing regulatory functions).
• Consultants and Professionals responsible for providing advice and technical assistance to public and private sector clients on the planning and management of public-private partnership.
• Bankers and Financiers involved in sponsoring and financing public-private transactions programs in all sectors.
• Executives and Managers involved in developing and operating public-private partnership projects for corporations or on behalf of government.

SB: What are the VU-ip3 Qualifications attainable upon study AT Victoria University?
Oscar: All of VU-IP3 programs are multidisciplinary and result in the overall enhancement of participants’ management capabilities as well as specialized skill strengthening. Upon completion of IP3 training at Victoria University, depending on one’s choice of study, one will be awarded:
• Certified Utility Management Specialist™
• IP3 Packaged Certificate in Oil and Gas Management;
• IP3 Packaged Certificate in Oil & Gas Law
• IP3 Packaged Certificate in Oil & Gas Project Management
• IP3 Packaged Certificate in Oil & Gas Environmental Management
• Certified Public-Private Partnership Specialist™
• Certified Regulation Specialist™
• Certified Project Finance Specialist™

SB: What are the benefits of Victoria University-IP3 Accreditation Training courses?
Oscar: VU-IP3 training programs provide essential “skills and tools” for public and private sector managers. A VU trained PPP Specialist will have enhanced Job-Related Skills for Professional Career Advancement; Practical and Convenient IP3 Course Scheduling for Busy Professionals; You will work with and be qualified to join distinguished and exclusive well connected IP3 Alumni; You will gain Global and comprehensive knowledge. There is no greater leadership in the fields of PPPs, Utility Management, Regulation, Project Finance and Governance you will find anywhere else. We call up delegates to come and study at the VU-IP3 Training Centre at Victoria University.

SB: IP3 offers programs in Washington D.C. (WDC) and Victoria University Kampala. Are there differences between the DC programs and the Victoria University Kampala IP3 programs?
Oscar: IP3’s WDC programs are either one or two-weeks in duration. The WDC programs combine training sessions with “out of the classroom” site visits to important facilities and organizations. Our VU regional programs, on the other hand are more intensive. There is no difference in terms of practicality, quality, or benefit. WDC programs offer participants the chance to visit and learn in the United States while our VU regional programs offer a more convenient and cost effective experience.

SB: Can Victoria University provide direct IP3 training for Government Institution and agencies?
Oscar: At Victoria University we conduct scores of “customized” IP3 training programs East Africa & the COMESA Regions. If your organization would like a customized training program, IP3-Victoria University can provide you with a draft concept proposal and budget. Graduates of customized training programs receive credits towards IP3’s Global Certification Credential.

SB: What is currently Government of Uganda’s position on PPPs?
Oscar: The government approved the PPP policy in March 2010. It was then tabled and passed in Parliament in September 2012. In July 2014, it was sent to the Executive for assenting but it came back to parliament for some amendments. Back and forth negotiations are ongoing between the Executive Office and Parliament.

SB: Lastly, what are the benefits of Government PPP Bill?
Oscar: If the Bill is passed into law, it could pave way for government to tap into private resources to build public infrastructure. The bill seeks to govern the relationship between government and the private party in public private partnerships and to provide for guidelines and procedures for the development of PPP projects. PPPs are fronted as a good alternative to funding expensive and long-term undertakings such as roads and railways. Under PPPs, infrastructure is built, managed and maintained by the private sector which then charges the public a certain fee for using the road. Victoria University IP3 specialized training accreditation is going to play a key role in creating PPP Specialists with world class standard in PPP Management skill-set.