Training of Service Provider (ICBS) and Extension Agents in Calabar by USAID MARKETS II on 30th – 31st of March, 2017

In order to build the capacity of rural groups and associations in Nigeria, MARKETS II organized a 2-day training session for service providers ICBS and extension agents in the Niger Delta Region on group Dynamics and leadership.

Mr. Abiodun Amoo talking on Vision and Mission statements; that before one embarks on a project, he or she must have a vision and a mission. What he or she wants to achieve and the way and manner it is achieved.

Mr. Abiodun also talked about assignment of roles in a group. He said, in assigning roles, one must identify the strength and weakness of group members in order for smooth running of the group.

Here, the class was grouped into two (2) and every member of the group was asked to arrange cups and cover them with one hand

These are illustrations of effective communication

Picture one (1) shows a football coach paying so much attention to his players neglecting the phone call from his wife trying to pass a message to him.

Picture two (2) shows a trader in the market displaying his waves and a call came from the wife and he took time to answer her.

What these pictures portray is that communication is effective when there is a response and a feedback given to that effect.

Mr. Abiodum Amoo talked about conflict management, that for you to tackle a conflict, you must first acknowledge the fact that, the conflict exist, you understand the situation by identify the facts, then you reach an agreement.

This is an illustration of group decision making process by Mr. Abiodun Amoo

Here each group was asked to arrange blocks of wood to a certain height with one hand without collapsing the blocks within a time frame. Each group was given time to plan on how to go about it before commencing.

The essence of this is for group members to put heads together to plan and implement jobs effectively.

Here is an illustration on loan application process.

This shows what and what is required for a group to access financial assistance. The requirement are

• Group must be registered.
• Group must have a bank account
• Group must have records of activities.
• Group must establish a framework

The main objective of the training is to build the capacity of rural groups and association in Nigeria in order to achive this; group must have vision and mission, must work as a team, roles must be assigned to members based on strength and weakness, must have a good leadership system e.t.c.

Other aspect of the training include:

• Reports must have activities of ICBS attached
• ICBS and EAs should do routine checks or farmers.

The extension agents and the service providers were delighted about the training and saw it as a morale boaster for effective service delivery to the farmers.