iMMAP Nigeria Delivers Round IV of its Information Management Training

Yobe State Emergency Management Agency Applauds iMMAP's Capacity Building for Humanitarian Workers in North East Nigeria.

In his closing remarks Alhaji Musa Jidawa, Permanent Secretary of the Yobe State Emergency Management Management Agency, expressed the State's appreciation of iMMAP's contribution in training and building the capacity and skills of the humanitarian workforce to effectively respond to the crisis.

July 20, 2018, Nigeria – As part of the USAID-funded Information Management training and capacity building program, started in in January 2018 in Nigeria, iMMAP is working closely with the humanitarian sector coordinators and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), in order to identify information management needs and gaps, design training activities, identify suitable participants, and deliver multiple Information Management activities and workshops.

From 9-13 July 2018 iMMAP, in collaboration with UNOCHA, conducted a five-day training at the National Open University of Nigeria, at Damaturu Study Center. The training was attended by 53 participants from the government, national and international NGOs, and UN Agencies.

The purpose of the training was to provide the necessary information management capacity to the humanitarian responders, and to strengthen their ability to optimize the use of information and evidence in decision making.

Speaking at the opening of the training, UNOCHA Head of Yobe Sub-Office David Lubari thanked the participants to creating time to attend the training, and urged them to utilize the skills learned to enhance their planning and programming in responding to the needs of the people affected by the crisis.

The attendants were identified through a collaborative nomination process, in collaboration with the humanitarian sector coordinators and UNOCHA. The participants selected are members of the government and of all nine humanitarian sectors in Nigeria: Health, Education, Protection (including Child Protection and Gender-based Violence sub-sectors), CCCM, Shelter/Non-Food Items, WASH, Nutrition, Food Security and Early Recovery.

The government participants represented the State Emergency Management Agency, State Universal Basic Education Board, State Ministry of Water Resources, State Ministry of Health, State Epidemiological Department, Agriculture Development Program, Ministry of Women's Affairs, and the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Social and Community Development.

The training was delivered through presentations, audio-visual materials such as videos and context sound clips, group work and individual activities; the practical sessions involved step-by-step guidance and support on the use of essential tools, particularly Kobo Toolbox for design, verification and deployment of humanitarian needs assessment questionnaires for digital data collection using desktops and hand-held Android devices. iMMAP also presented essential Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for service availability and accessibility mapping, demographic characterization by administrative level, and mapping the operational presence of humanitarian actors using Quantum GIS, a free and open software application.

As with the previous rounds of training, the participants jointly worked on role plays and group activities simulating real-life humanitarian challenges.

Since March 2018, the total number of humanitarian partners directly benefiting from iMMAP's information management training and capacity building activities in the north east is 194. Rounds One and Two were both held in Maiduguri, Borno State and Round Three was held in Yola, Adamawa State.

"This one week of iMMAP's information management training was greatly impacting. I am so excited at what I can do better as a humanitarian actor, and I greatly appreciate the diligence, patience and passion in knowledge delivery", said Dabo Jemima Zugwai, one of the participants working with Hope and Rural Aid Foundation in Yobe State.