Africa Lead and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) carried out a study in 2012 to assess the capacity needs of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD). The study entitled, Assessment of Nigeria Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA) and Capacity Building Needs, identified key areas that required strengthening with the FMARD in order to efficiently implement the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA). On September 10th, 2014 a meeting at the FMARD was convened to share the findings of the Africa Lead/IFPRI report along with other studies conducted by Monitor Deloitte and ActionAid Nigeria to key members of the FMARD and the donor community in support of the FMARD’s efforts to create a 5-year work plan to address these issues.
In response to these presentation, the FMARD will organize a strategic planning workshop in late October to create a common vision of the various stakeholders on the needs and activities required to build the FMARD’s capacity to deliver their products and services and to create a common approach between the FMARD and the donor community on ways to jointly implement this plan. The workshop will focus on the key areas of planning, knowledge management, monitoring and evaluation, communication, extension, and coordination that were highlighted in the Africa Lead/IFPRI report. IFPRI will also be making a presentation on the experiences from other countries in the area of capacity building, such as China, India, and Brazil, in attempting to boost their institutional capacities.
