The South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) in collaboration with the subject group Public Administration at the North-West University (NWU), will host their 18th annual conference from 8 to 11 May 2018 at the Mmabatho Palms in Mahikeng.
It is the first time that this conference is held in the North West Province. The theme of the conference is “Building state capacity for democracy’s developmental mandate”.
“The four-day conference will provide a platform for national and international academics, students and practitioners to share innovative ideas on democracy and state capacity,” says Prof David Mello from Public Administration. “It takes place at a time when public institutions and state-owned enterprises are found wanting in their ability to deliver on their developmental mandates. SAAPAM, as a professional body, has a responsibility to provide leadership regarding current public administration-related issues, to host discourses and to build a formidable body of knowledge for the discipline, hence the theme of the conference.”
“Academics and practitioners from across South Africa and from Botswana, Malawi, Kenya, Angola and Nigeria are expected to attend the conference. Approximately 150 papers will be presented,” adds Prof Mello.
Day one will be the opening, annual general meeting and the launch of the book Theland is ours by Advocate Thembeka Ngukaitobi. Most of the papers will be presented on 9 and 10 May. Conference goers will also attend a gala dinner on 10 May and will be addressed by Prof Sibusiso Vil-Nkomo, a Fulbright scholar from the University of Pretoria. On Friday 11 May, Dr Moeletsi Solomon Leballo will deliver a lecture in honour of Prof Vil-Nkomo.
