From 28-31 January 2019, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) delivered two policy communications training courses for a total of 60 government officials (28-29 January) and farmers (30 - 31 January) in Kebbi State.
The 25 government officials (23 male, 2 female) work at the Kebbi State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Kebbi State Agricultural Development Programme. On the other hand, the 35 participants (27 male, 8 female) represented various farmer groups in Kebbi State.
In the two trainings, participants were introduced to basic concepts of Policy Communications, the use of social media for disseminating information and engaging in policy discussions and sources of information relevant to agriculture. Government officials were introduced to policy notes, an effective contemporary tool for informing, educating and persuading on policy issues.
According to Mohammed Lawal Shehu, who is the Permanent Secretary, Agriculture for Kebbi State, “My people have told me that they have learned a lot and I pray to God that what we have learned will be of benefit to us and God willing, we are going to extend it to the co-workers who were not opportune to be here. So by the time they go back to their respective offices, I will ask them to kindly extend the knowledge to those who were not here.”
The training is part of the capacity build activities of the Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Policy Project. The project is funded by the United State Agency for International Development (USAID/Nigeria) with funding from Michigan State University and IFPRI’s Nigeria Strategy Support Program.
