Building a Body of Knowledge in Project Management in Developing Countries (Domain-specific Bodies of Knowledge in Project Management, 3)

This book presents a state-of-the-art account of the recent developments and needs for project management in developing countries. It adds to the current state of knowledge on project management in general by capturing current trends, how they widen the content and scope of the field, and why there is a need for a specialist body of knowledge for developing countries. Eminent experts in this domain address the specific nature and demands of project management in developing countries, in the context of its scope and priorities, and discuss the relationships between this emerging field and established bodies of knowledge. The book also addresses the future of project management in developing countries and how this might influence mainstream project management. This important book will be an essential reference for practitioners, students, researchers and policymakers engaged in how to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of project management in developing countries.

George Ofori is the Dean of the School of the Built Environment and Architecture, London South Bank University, UK. He was a Senior Quantity Surveyor with G A Takyi and Partners in Accra, Ghana, in 1981–83. From 1983 to 2017, he worked at the National University of Singapore where he was promoted to Full Professor in 1999, and was the Head of the Department of Building in 2002–07. He has been a consultant to several international agencies and governments on construction industry development, since 1978. He was a Visiting Chair Professor at Tsinghua University in China, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, and University of Science Malaysia. He is the Deputy Chairman of the International Board of CoST, the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative; and a Member of the Board of Trustees of Engineers Against Poverty.

Dr Ofori specialises in Construction Management and Economics at the project, company and industry levels. His main subject of research is the improvement of the capacity and capability of the construction industry, especially in developing countries. His other research subjects are: Sustainable Construction; Productivity; Human Resources in Construction; and Professionalism and Ethics. He has written 120 journal papers, 5 books, 30 chapters in books and 6 reports published by major international agencies. He has presented keynote papers at more than 60 major conferences, and given public lectures in many countries.

Dr Ofori obtained a B.Sc. (Building Technology in Quantity Surveying, First Class Honours) at the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana in 1975. He got an M.Sc. (Building Economics and Management, Distinction) degree at University College London in 1977, and a PhD degree at that university in 1981. He was awarded a D.Sc. degree by the University of London in 1998. He is a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building; Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors; and Society of Project Managers (Singapore).