Interview with Margaret Jackson

Margaret Jackson

Grow Learn Connect: What were the major milestones in your professional career?

Margaret Jackson: In 2009, I got a call from a friend telling me about an opportunity she was sure would be perfect for me – IFC was conducting a Training of Trainers (ToT) course in Ghana. She knew that as part of running Rainbow Consult, I conducted training courses for my clients on HR and HR-related issues. She was certain that this course would help me improve my training skills and thereby grow my business by leaps and bounds. The next step after the ToT was to become an IFC-certified trainer. To qualify, I had to be assessed on the delivery of two training courses. Although delivering two workshops seemed easy in theory, the economic climate in Ghana made it an incredibly difficult task. Therefore, I had to look outside Ghana for training that I could be assessed for. In 2010, I facilitated a training course for the Centre for MicroEnterprise Development in Lagos, Nigeria, and ran one open course in Ghana. After attending a ToMT and having completed a two-year apprenticeship, I became an IFC-certified master trainer. A few years later, I became an IFC-certified instructional designer and an IFC–LPI TPMA Trainer and Assessor.


GLC: You have excelled and received certification in every area of trainer capacity-building. What do you see as the next step in your professional development?

MJ: My next step is about giving back and creating a legacy of brilliant facilitators and thriving SMEs in Africa. This is why in November 2020 I convened the first ever Africa-wide Learning and Development (L&D) Conference. The conference brought together over 500 L&D professionals from all over Africa to meet, share ideas, and promote the African L&D industry, so it can take its rightful place on the global stage. It was centered around the theme “Raising the Bar for Innovative Learning and Development.”


GLC: Tell us about a training project you worked on that was impactful, inclusive, scalable, and sustainable?

MJ: In 2013, the Fidelity Bank set up an SME Academy with the aim to provide capacity building for the bank’s SME clients. Back then, one hundred and fifty-three (153) SMEs received training through the Academy. This is one of my and Rainbow Consult’s greatest achievements.

Thanks to the success of the Fidelity Bank SME Academy, in 2016, we were invited to collaborate with Fidelity Bank Ghana  in the establishment of the SNV Netherlands Development Organization Possible to Profitable (P2P) SME Academy. The Academy focused on providing capacity building for SMEs in the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector, making them more profitable and preparing them to receive funding.

Rainbow Consult has also been influential in the establishment of the UNICEF P2P SME Academy in Ghana. As a result, over 2,000 jobs were created in the WASH sector, over 30,000 households have accessed improved water, over 20,000 households received improved hygiene products, and GHC 27 million in loans have been disbursed to MSMEs.


GLC: Do you have more success stories to share about clients you trained?

MJ: A success story I would like to share about my clients is about the 50 women entrepreneurs trained for Access Bank IFC Mini MBA in Nigeria. Apart from helping their businesses grow, Access Bank encouraged women to form a network (on WhatsApp) to support and connect each other to bigger business opportunities. What happened is that a training program participant was invited to speak at a television show. She saw an opportunity for another training participant, whose company specialized in converting vehicles’ used tires into furniture, interior decor, and playground items. As a result, the fellow participant running the tire business received calls from sponsors offering to train 15 women on recycling. She was also invited to give an interview on a TV show, which increased awareness about company's products. All these happened because of the community Access Bank formed for the 50 women entrepreneurs to help, support and grow each other’s businesses.


GLC: What books on professional development have you enjoyed most and why?

MJ: “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson is one book on professional development I have enjoyed most. One takeaway from the book is that entrepreneurs should always stay one step ahead of their competition and clients and find new and innovative ways to offer their products and services. The book has provided much guidance to me in my business decisions, and I strongly recommend it to business owners, especially in the COVID-19 era.


GLC: "Rainbow Consult" has become one of the first signatories to the GLC Principles for Learning. What were your first steps as a signatory?

MJ: The first step was to inform our staff that the best practices we had adhered to for a long time were now codified into a document, which Rainbow Consult was now a signatory to.


GLC: How did becoming a signatory change your company's practices?

MJ: My company’s practices did not change because we have worked with IFC since 2009 and have always adhered to the best practices in training delivery.


GLC: What was the most memorable experience in your professional career?

MJ: It was when Rainbow Consult was adjudged as the Most Supportive BSP for Business Service Providers by the Ghana Supply Chain Development Program, which is an initiative of USAID and PYXERA Global. 


GLC: The webinar you will deliver on January 21 is dedicated to gender-inclusion. Why gender considerations? What makes you passionate about building the capacity of women entrepreneurs?

Margaret Jackson about gender equality

MJ: Women make up fifty-one percent (51%) of the world population. According to the 2014 IFC study, there are roughly 9.34 million formal women-owned SMEs in over 140 assessed countries. That represents almost one third of all formal SMEs. Women constitute a major part of the workforce and contribute significantly to the business world and to the global economy. I  believe that no society can truly flourish if it deprives itself of the contribution of half of its citizens. This has driven my passion for building the capacity of women entrepreneurs.


GLC: What kind of personality are you? What will your family and friends tell us about the Margaret they know?

MJ: My family, friends and other people who are close to me will mostly likely say that I have a relentless ‘can do’ spirit. They will say that when I set my mind to accomplish a goal, I always find a legitimate way to accomplish the said goal no matter how difficult it seemed at the beginning. 


GLC: Did the dreams you cherished as a child come true?

MJ: Yes, my childhood dreams did come true; however, not the way I expected.


GLC: What is one family tradition you would like to pass on to the next generation?

MJ: One family tradition I would like to pass on to the next generation is the habit of investing in the education of others.


GLC: What is your favorite holiday?

MJ: My favorite holiday is the Christmas season. The festivities offer the opportunity to reconnect with family and loved ones while enabling me to reflect and strategize for the coming year. 


GLC: What book by a Ghanaian writer would you recommend to someone who is not familiar with the Ghanaian literature?

MJ: I will recommend "The Dilemma of a Ghost" and "Anowa" by Ama Ata Aidoo, a renowned Ghanaian author, playwright, poet, and academic.


GLC: What do you like to cook?

MJ: I love to cook jollof rice.