US-based Development Consultant concludes a 1-day Grant Writing Training in Calabar

Efio-Ita Nyok|19 March 2017

An Atlanta-based development economist, social entrepreneur and public affairs analyst, Cross River-born Mr Princewill Odidi, yesterday organised a one-day Grant Writing and Funding Resource Workshop for no fewer than 50 residents and indigenes of Cross River State NegroidHaven can say.

The training workshop which is the third session out of twelve actually began on Tuesday 20th December 2016 and continued through Wednesday 21st December. It was declared open last year by the state Commissioner for Information Communication Technology, Chief Offu Aya. The just concluded session held at Fin Ice, Medical Students Hostel located at Moore Road, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).

The purpose of the workshop according to the organiser was to acquaint participants with the art of assessing international funding especially those designated for Nigeria. Odidi consider this a way of giving back to society by empowering Cross Riverians through skill and capacity development.

During the workshop there was a review of United States funding platforms including grants.gov, Celebrity Blackbook, Foundation database, Ford Foundation, Coca-Cola Foundation, and several American foundations that fund programmes in Africa.

Odidi practically went through the proposals participants had developed half way last year and assisted them in adding finishing touches by further exposing them to advanced techniques in grant writing. Before the end of the session it was discovered that a handful of proposals where ready for onward submission to designated grant foundations.

In his words, ‘Upon introducing participants 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.

‘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’, he continued.

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