Business Engineering Science and Technology Development and Management (BEST)

For profit/private sector

The BEST was established in 2002 as a development and management consulting firm. The firm was set-up with the special mission: to offer high quality and environmentally sensitive technical services that apply the best-practiced knowledge and methods of Business, Engineering, Science and Technology (hence the BEST), to meet the complex challenges of development and management. The overarching goal of the BEST is therefore to deliver best-practiced knowledge management service using appropriate and environmentally sound socio-technical know-how and practices to support development and management of development projects/program and services.

Over its 14 years of existence, the BEST Development and Management Consultants have gained enormous experiences in providing interdisciplinary (social, physical and environmental) technical assistance in all the stages of the Project Cycle Management (PCM) to support diverse projects in agriculture and rural livelihoods, farmer-based organizations, community-driven development, industrial, engineering and infrastructural developments projects, institutional capacity building processes, and provide overall support of the development and management of programs and businesses in general.

The BEST facilitates Project Cycle Management training for project management/implementation units and NGOs and also facilitates strategic planning, business development and management for SMEs. The firm has also provided technical and training assistance to a number of ministries, departments and agencies (MDA) of the Government of Sierra Leone (GSL); and donors such as the World Bank, Islamic Development Bank (IDB), African Development Bank (ADB) supported projects. Typical examples of relevant assignments related to training are outlined below:

1. Feb. – July 2017 Consultant for the development of M&E System, formulation of the project Theory of Change and Result Chain and to Conduct Baseline Studies and Assessment of Agricultural Business Centre and Farmers Based Organization (ABCs/FBO) Inland Valley Swamps and Feeder Roads and facilitation of training in business planning and marketing for the Islamic Development Bank funded Linking Farmers to the Market Project, Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS).

2. June 2016 – March 2017 National Consultant jointly with an international consultant for the Scoping Study of the M&E framework and Systems of MDAs in Sierra Leone and to develop a Central M&E Framework and System, Guidelines, Manual and tools and to conduct trainings of M&E officers at the central and local government levels for the Department of Central Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MFED).

3. April 2014 – March 2015 Consultants to facilitate the planning and timely execution of training program for the 291Ward Committees comprising about 3,492 members in 13 of 19 local council areas within the context of the on-going Decentralization program including the preparation and delivery of training to these newly elected ward committee members covering the basic tenets of the decentralization and their roles and responsibilities, providing training in good governance, Social mobilization, result-oriented participatory development monitoring at community-level, environmental safeguards, grievance mechanism and management, and reporting.

4. April – Sept 2015 Consultants for the Assessment, Up-grade of the M&E database, Installation and Training of the Local Councils’ Core Indicators Database administrators and M&E officers for the 19 Local Governments for the Decentralization Secretariat, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

5. March 2012 – Feb. 2013 Consultant Facilitator Agricultural Business Centre (ABC) Capacity Building for the Smallholder Farmers’ Commercialization Project, MAFFS for 20 ABCs in Kambia District (15 ABCs) and Western Rural District (5 ABCs);

6. Aug. 2007 to Date Organize Advance two weeks training program in Project Cycle Management which covers the two broad topics of Project Planning and Project Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation.

7. May 2006 Consultant Trainer of Tearfund, UK Partners in the Mano River Union in Project Cycle Management

8. Dec 2004 – Feb. 2005: Provided technical assistance to the Decentralization Secretariat for the training of local council development practitioners in development planning and management and in the preparation of development plans for these newly established district and town councils in Sierra Leone.