As part of capacity development efforts towards supporting humanitarian actors responding to the northeast Nigeria crisis, iMMAP Nigeria continued its implementation of Information Management (IM) capacity development activities by delivering two separate training rounds (11 and 12) for humanitarian actors in Maiduguri, Borno State.
In a bid to promote diversity, iMMAP has always encouraged more female participation in all its activities. We are proud that round 12 recorded the highest female participation (50%) of any of the previous rounds of training. Round 12 was also the first round of IM training that was held in coordination with UNOCHA and the University of Maiduguri since the
signing of the MoU between the university and iMMAP. Infographic: Statistics from Rounds 11 and 12 IM Training
Round 12 training, which was held in UNIMAID’s state of the art ICT facility on the University’s main campus in Maiduguri, was themed ‘Harnessing the Power of Data for Evidence-based Decision Making’. The purpose of iMMAP's capacity development program is to strengthen humanitarian partners’ capacities to optimize information management tools, platforms, technologies and best practices for a better, more effective response, in alignment with the humanitarian principles.
In his remarks at the commencement of round 12, Engineer Professor Babagana Gutti, UNIMAID Director of the Computer & ICT Centre and Dean of the Engineering Department, addressed the participants by stating that the skills iMMAP are here to share will remain with them long after the training.
iMMAP is here to share their knowledge for our collective benefit. Never mind the security situation [in Maiduguri], this is part of the reason you are here; harnessing the power of information is very important to mitigate the effects of the insurgency.Engineer Professor Babagana Gutti
Through the daily feedback collected by the team, the participants expressed their overall satisfaction with the training content, the facilitators and the venue. One participant, Emmanuel Maina, a Data Manager with the International Organization for Migration in Borno, learned during the program a faster and more efficient way to process data for a hitherto complex task he was given at work. During the break on day 4 of the program, he quickly took a few minutes to utilize his new skills to interpret data on his laptop and send it back to his colleagues at work.
At the graduation ceremony for round 12 of the capacity development program, Professor Danjuma Gambo, Director of Radio and Human Relations & Dean of Social Sciences, encouraged the graduating participants not to rest on their laurels, but rather to push forward and apply their newly acquired knowledge to help turn around their communities for the better. He went on to stress the importance of remembering the affected people in the carrying out of participants’ jobs.
Always find a place for the human soul in the analysis of your data. Think holistically about why you are doing what you are doing, beyond the data, as it has its limits. Use your knowledge to enhance the quality of life. Professor Danjuma Gambo
Left-Right: Hajiya Aishatu A. Chiroma, Engineer Professor Babagana Gutti, Professor Danjuma Gambo, Mr Alain Ouattara, Adebukola Bolaji
Other guest speakers at the graduating ceremony were Hajiya Aishatu A. Chiroma, the UNIMAID Director of Human Resources, Mr Alain Ouattara, the HPC Lead & Head of Information Management Unit for OCHA Nigeria, Mr Syed Wajihul Hassan, Localization Focal Point at WFP, and Engineer Professor Babagana Gutti, UNIMAID Director of the Computer & ICT Centre and Dean of the Engineering Department.
With support from the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), iMMAP started the information management training and capacity building program in Nigeria in January 2018. Under the program, iMMAP works hand in hand with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Sector Coordinators to identify priority IM capacity development needs, design training activities, identify participants, and implement the capacity building activities.