Dr: Hesham Mansour Announces $3 Billion Spent on Employee Training in the Middle East and Africa in 2024

The Launch of the International Assessment and Development Summit: Dr: Hesham Mansour Announces $3 Billion Spent on Employee Training in the Middle East and Africa in 2024

The first edition of the International Assessment and Development Summit kicked off on December 14 in the New Administrative Capital, attended by prominent government officials and private sector leaders in Egypt. The summit was organized by Heart to Heart Consulting in collaboration with its international partner Talogy and under the patronage of Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development.

In his opening speech, Dr. Hesham Mansour, Chairman of the summit, emphasized that investing in human capital is a top priority. He revealed that nearly $3 billion was spent in 2024 on employee training across the Middle East and Africa. However, he noted that much of this investment was not based on scientific methodologies, leading to lower returns. Dr. Mansour stressed the importance of linking recruitment, promotion, and training processes to a comprehensive employee Assessment and evaluation system. He compared Assessment to a doctor’s diagnosis, as improving employee performance cannot occur without precise scientific assessment. He added that companies adopting systematic evaluations achieve better results in developing human resources and boosting productivity.

Dr. Hesham Badr, Deputy Minister of Planning and Supervisor of the Egypt Government Excellence Award, highlighted the summit as a key platform for learning and knowledge exchange. He affirmed that Assessment has become essential for training employees and enhancing government performance. Dr. Badr explained that the Egypt Government Excellence Award aims to evaluate and develop performance innovatively, motivating employees and showcasing government excellence to improve public services and align with sustainable development goals.

During the session on the cost of wrong hires, Dr. Hatem El Wardani, General Manager of AstraZeneca Egypt, stated that recruitment is a journey that begins with clearly defining the employee's role and desired outcomes. He underscored the importance of thorough candidate filtering, which involves eliminating unconscious biases and including diverse panels of experts. Dr. Wardani highlighted the role of leadership behavior assessments, competency tests, and emotional intelligence evaluations in creating a comprehensive hiring process. He stressed the need for clear role expectations and proactive measures within the first 90 days to mitigate risks from unsuitable hires.

In a dedicated session on "Analyzing and Understanding Generation Z", Shaimaa El Ashry, Operations Management Consultant, addressed the generational gap in the workplace. She explained that the entry of Generation Z—those born after millennials—into the job market has created significant differences between older generations’ traditional management styles and younger generations’ innovative approaches. Ms. El Ashry noted that Generation Z currently represents about 20% of the workforce. She emphasized the importance of adapting workplace policies to accommodate their fresh perspectives, technological expertise, and digital learning capabilities. While Generation Z is driven and eager to make an impact, they require proper guidance and mentorship to reach their full potential. She concluded that organizations embracing this generational shift would achieve significant progress toward their strategic goals.

As part of the summit's activities, Abdel Rahman Hesham, Director of Innovation and Marketing at Heart to Heart Consulting, launched an interactive card game presented as the main gift for attendees as part of gamification in learning movement. The game aims to simulate the reality of human development in an engaging and practical manner, allowing participants to experience a comprehensive process that includes performance evaluation, addressing unexpected challenges, and building development plans while considering budget constraints. This initiative is designed to enhance employees’ understanding of professional development processes and provide an innovative tool to encourage positive interaction and improve workplace performance.

Abdel Rahman emphasized the importance of the human aspect in business environments, stating that successful leadership is built on inspiration and respect rather than fear. He added that every interaction in the workplace is an opportunity to reinforce values of kindness, compassion, and understanding.

At the conclusion of the summit, Heart to Heart Consulting announced the launch of the second edition of the summit in 2025, promising to include international experts, in-depth studies, and partnerships with both the public and private sectors to advance human capital investment, improve employee performance, and elevate service quality.