US-based Development Consultant concludes a 2-day Grant Writing Training in Calabar

Efio-Ita Nyok|25 December 2016

No fewer than fifty indigenes and residents of Cross River, a state located in the south-southern geopolitical zone of Nigeria have benefited from a Grant Writing and Funding Resource Workshop organised by an Atlanta-based development consultant, Mr Princewill Odidi.

The training workshop which was declared open by the state Commissioner for Information Communication Technology, Chief Offu Aya on Tuesday 20th December and extended to Wednesday 21st December at Women Development Centre, Parliamentary Road, Calabar aims at acquainting participants with the art of assessing international funding especially those designated for Nigeria. In his speech, Chief Aya who commended the organiser of the training enjoined participants to maximize the full potential of the workshop by taking their learning seriously.

According to the organiser of the workshop, training sessions will be twelve in number. And participants will at the end of the twelfth session which covers 96 credit units be eligible to acquire certification of grant writing from the American Small Business Institute upon sitting for an examination.

In an interview with newsmen after the second training session Mr Odidi who noted that this training workshop is part of his personal contribution towards empowering Cross Riverians through skill and capacity development said that,

‘We organized a grant writing and funding resource workshop for indigenes and residents in CRS. The purpose of the workshop is to expose Cross River indigenes to different international funding platforms and how to access them. During the class session, we reviewed United States funding platforms including grants.gov, Celebrity Blackbook, foundation database, and several American foundations that fund programs in Africa.

‘Upon introducing students to these platforms we proceeded to show them how to apply for grants from this foundations, how to meet funding requirements, and how to put the packet together. We also introduced students to several international donor programs and how to qualify for funding. We reviewed British Aid, Usaid, Canadian international development fund, German and Australian donor funds for Nigeria,’ Odidi continued.

‘We also showed the students how to put the packets together. The complete training will be 12 sessions. So far we have completed 2 sessions. The third session will hold January 27th. We have 51 persons attending the current session which will end in may 2017. Participants will be issued Certification of Grant writing completion from the American Small Business Institute, having completed a total 96 credit hours. I plan to personally work with a participants within the next one year to help them obtain grants for their programs’, his statement further revealed.

Mr Odidi further informed that he plans to personally introduce a majority of the participants to various American organisations to partner with them for project execution.

Mr Princewill Odidi’s Grant Writing and Business Proposal Training class is part of his pet project initiative namely Empower Cross River.

Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Blogger, the Editor & Publisher of NegroidHaven.org