Chiamaka Ozulumba
The Agents for Citizens-driven Transformation (ACT), a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), recently strengthened the capacity of some select Civil Society Organisations (CSO) with the aim of enabling them build institutional structures to become credible drivers of change and sustainable development in the country.
Funded by the European Union and implemented by the British Council, the four-year programme started from 2019 and will end in 2023.
Already, ACT is currently working with CSOs in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and nine states selected across the six geopolitical zones in the country. The states are Adamawa, Borno, Edo, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Plateau, Rivers and Sokoto.
According to the Component Manager, ACT programme, Hafsat Mustapha, although they had 200 CSOs receiving thematic support, they do not provide training to all the 200 at any one time.
Mustapha made this disclosure at the recent “Cross-State Regional Reflection for ACT” programme, held at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, which started on May 16 and ended on May 17.
She said the ACT programme was based on how CSOs in Nigeria can help to translate capacity building to institutional building, as essential, to the sustainability of NGOs in the country.
“This will also ensure accountability, which increases the legitimacy of the CSOs with a focus on evaluation and documenting results that make NGOs successful.
“ACT is basically a CSO capacity building programme which started implementation in 2019 and will end the implementation program in 2023,” she said.
The manager said such trainings would help CSOs understand the complex regulatory requirements that enable them operate within the ambit of the law and also conform to the regulatory requirements.
“Not all organisation that are registered within the sector, are registered with the intent to drive the main purpose of why NGOs are established.”So, for this reason there needs to be some kind of order within the system by helping civil organisations self regulate and make adjustments to their internal system and policy.
“This will also help them look at their financial processes, their strategy, and training, helping them to build capacity and advocacy on topics to engage with communities and the media,” she said.
She also said that ACT selected CSOs from Rivers and Plateau for the training based on those working on all EU thematic areas which includes: health, education, resilience, climate change, nutrition, water and sanitation.
Mina Ogbanga, Chief Operations Officer, River State Network of NGOs said the impact from past trainings had enabled them work with the government to design and pass laws that would impact Rivers State and even Nigeria.
“We have moved to pass the Soot Bill, which we have been part of from the point of inception to the point of assent.
“The bill is one of the things that will affect our activities in Rivers State directly and that is one of the bills we have passed.
“We are also working seriously on passing the Climate Change Bill, which has passed the first and second reading and will go through due process before assent,” she said.
Mr. Duke Ogbureke, Director, Youth Adolescent Reflection and Action Centre (YARAC), Jos, Plateau said ACT had strengthened their capacity to work more efficiently and effectively.
“The training has helped us to be more focused and objectively driven in service delivery and the implementation of our projects,” he said.
The cross-state regional reflection offered the CSOs opportunities to share experience in developing their individual and collective capacity to become drivers of change in Nigeria
During the workshop, the CSOs shared insights and lessons on how they can translate capacity building to institutional structure; how CSO accountability can increase legitimacy; why programme evaluation and documenting outcome results can make CSOs successful; and why stakeholder identification and influencing are important to project management.
The CSOs also shared personal experiences of their engagement with the citizens, government, and media, as well as their experience in ensuring gender and social inclusion and improving the regulatory environment for CSO work in Nigeria.
