Capacity Development can effectively and efficiently enhance programme delivery

5 October 2016, Accra – Within the new framework of the SDGs, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has called on its development specialists in Africa to strengthen countries’ ownership of projects and programmes that are executed by FAO.

Bukar Tijani, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa, made the call at the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop on Formulating Effective Capacity Development Programmes at Country level.

“Our role is to be a facilitator, a monitor, an evaluator or a technical assistant in programme implementation. The true owners of the programmes are the countries; only in this way can we all partner towards sustainable development. Sustainability lies with the country and without sustainability, interventions are short-lived and have minimal impact”, he emphasized.

He reminded participants that all projects and programmes implemented in Africa, whether by country partners, the African Union, NEPAD or the Regional Economic Communities, actually belong to the countries.

He gave the assurance that FAO will continue to assist with its technical expertise when it comes to technical cooperation, to sustain projects and programmes in Africa.

“FAO encourages inclusive development processes with the appropriate actors at different scales (community, district, national, sub-regional, continental and global) as well as farmers’ associations, linking public and private institutions involved in food security and nutrition production, research and policies”, he added.

Capacity Development initiatives

Capacity Development (CD) is a core function in FAO Strategic Framework with its focus on sustainable results and lasting change at country level. FAO renewed approach to capacity development goes beyond training. It aims to a more comprehensive approach, which calls for the involvement of multiple stakeholders and leadership by country partners, and anchors FAO interventions in the specific context of a country or region.

The Capacity Development workshop provided participants with an interactive environment to practice methods and tools for designing effective CD programmes and projects, and provided a forum to share experiences and learn from existing CD work in the region.

It brought together about 25 development experts from the Regional Office for Africa and representatives of country offices engaged in supporting the Regional Initiatives and FAO major areas of work.

Views of some participants

Solange Heise, FAO Nutrition and Food Security Officer in Niger, was full of praise for the opportunity to participate in the workshop: “I have already had training in Needs Assessment and was looking forward to an opportunity to move onto the next step by learning capacity design and evaluation. This one will improve my ability to effectively formulate and develop capacity at the country level”.

Eloi, a statistician at the FAO Regional Office for Africa in Accra, said that the training is important to him because in his work with countries in the areas of agricultural statistics and census, capacity development is a strong component in the formulation and implementation of projects.

“This training comes in handy to help me to identify the right tools and processes to apply. Of course, in future projects, we will be more effective in the field”, he added.

Another participant said: “The training has opened my eyes and given me the means to support the sustainable development of country capacity; what is now clear to me is FAO changing role, the importance of the interests and needs of country stakeholders and the proper application of participatory approaches.”

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By [email protected]  and [email protected] (Communication, FAO, Regional Office for Africa)

Contact:

[email protected] and [email protected] (Capacity Development, FAO, Rome)