By Olisemeka Obeche Leaders of Innovation Platforms, IPs under the ATASP-1 Adani-Omor zone participated in a two-day capacity building workshop on Group Strengthening: Marketing, Financial Literacy and record keeping through Innovation Platform as an Exit Strategy in the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Program Phase One, ATASP-1. The workshop held at the East End Hotels and Suites, Awka, Anambra State from Wednesday, 18th through Thursday 19th September, 2024 saw participants received trainings on Commodity Marketing, Innovation Platform Group Dynamics, Cohesion and Promotion, Ethics and Commodity Marketing as well as Financial Literacy and Records Keeping. Facilitators for the training included Dr. Oyesola Oyebanji, Dr. Joyce Ibukun Ogwu, Dr. Helen Anyaegbunam and Dr. Mustapha Popoola. Dr. Romanus Egba, the Zonal Program Coordinator, Adani-Omor Zonal Programme Implementation Unit, in his welcome remarks reminded participants that ATASP-1 was winding down and that the IPs would play key role in the sustainability of the legacies of the program. According to him, ATASP-1 had invested heavily in the capacity building and support of the groups through its value chain development component and that it would amount to nothing if the IPs fail to live up to expectation after the expiration of the program. He stressed the need for the IPs to set up social media platform where relevant information and new ideas that would help their activities could easily be communicated to them. “By now we expect that you people should have a WhatsApp group where we can be sending extension messages, example time of planting, weather forecast, good agronomic practices, market trends, prices of goods and inputs etc.. You can also add us there so that you can ask us important questions pertaining to your activities or problems you may encounter after ATASP1, so we can respond and guide you. “We will do our best to support you, but you must have it at the back of your mind that ATASP-1 will not be supporting you forever. Now is the time for you to begin to plan on how to survive after the program. It’s time for you to stand on your feet and show that we groomed you well”, Egba charged the participants. Highlights of the training was a practical training and guide on opening of bank accounts for IPs and farmers groups by officials of a commercial bank to ensure sustainable and ethical practices in marketing, financial management of the groups. In her closing remarks, the Zonal Agribusiness Specialist, Chinelo Obiefuna urged the participants to put the knowledge gained at the workshop into practice and work towards transforming the IPs into a formidable business enterprises. She explained that the reason for bringing bank officials to the training was to assist them clear whatever hurdles that was preventing them from operating functional corporate account and running their businesses in a professional way. “The effort is to ensure sustainable and ethical practices in financial management of the groups and to position them to qualify for government grants, aids and easy access to loans if needed”, she adds. In his closing remarks, the National Program Coordinator, Dr. Ibrahim Arabi, represented by the National Agribusiness Specialist, Dr. Kunle Alege, expressed satisfaction with the quality of teaching and contributions of participants during the training. Alege, represented by the Technical Assistant, National Agribusiness Specialist, Mr. Sufyan Hamisu Ramadan, urged the participants to work harder in repositioning their IPs to operate as a viable business enterprises that would prosper beyond the duration of the program. He further stressed the need for participants to take advantage of a social media channel being created to link members of IPs across the four zones under ATASP-1, adding that it was part of the efforts to further strengthen the groups, enhance marketing, financial management, and record keeping, leading to long-term success for the IPS beyond the program lifespan.
