On May 8-9, 2017, a team of 5 IFPRI trainers facilitated 2 parallel training courses on “Econometrics for Policy Analysis Using Stata” at the Federal University of Technology, Minna which were attended by a total of 50 (30 males and 20 females) participants including faculty and undergraduate students. Requested by the University, the training courses were designed to teach participants how to manage, analyze, and report findings from various types of economic data. The training courses covered basic introduction to the use of Stata for data storage, data cleaning, and statistical analysis for their various types of research work. Participants gained insights on how to handle data for evidence-based decision making. The training courses were well received and appreciated with participants expressing satisfaction for both course content and delivery.
Following the training courses, a survey was sent to all participants and feedback showed that while most participants had never used Stata prior to this training course, most found it relevant to their work and planned to use Stata in the future. In addition, the overall feedback on the training was positive with most participants asking for additional courses in the near future. Participants expressed interest in learning more advanced Stata techniques as they relate to policy analysis and reporting of results. A most common response on how the course could be improved was the addition of more materials and an extra day to cover the materials.
These training courses were delivered as part of the activities in connection with the Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Policy Project, a joint effort between the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)’s Nigeria Strategy Support Program (NSSP) and Michigan State University funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID-Nigeria).
