Transforming Capacity Building for Nigeria's Food Systems

Capacity development is increasingly recognized as a vital strategy for strengthening institutions, empowering professionals, and fostering economic advancement, particularly in Nigeria. Many participants, including federal ministries, state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and agrifood businesses, engage annually in various training sessions focusing on leadership, digital tools, monitoring and evaluation, agronomy, nutrition, finance, and coordination.

Development partners are heavily investing in workshops, technical training, and leadership programs to enhance organizational capabilities. They understand that human resources form the foundation of every transformative effort in reform, policy, and food systems. Despite these substantial investments, a persistent question arises: Why does capacity building occasionally show slow progress in yielding measurable and visible results?

The evidence suggests that the issue lies not with the training itself but rather with a disconnect in how training integrates into the working environment. Capacity does not grow in a vacuum; individuals develop their skills as a part of a system influenced by policies, incentives, organizational structures, cultural norms, tools, and political frameworks.

Despite ongoing training initiatives, Nigeria continues to grapple with significant deficiencies in expertise, knowledge, and institutional capacity. This shortfall affects state planning units, extension services, research organizations, cooperatives, small to medium enterprises, and agribusinesses. Capacity development is not merely desirable; it is essential. Research in global development has shown that training contributes only a segment of long- term capacity improvement or modification, and such training's effectiveness is heavily reliant on the surrounding organizational culture, leadership involvement, and the systems to which participants return after their training.

To realize the complete value of capacity development, especially for transforming agriculture and food systems in Nigeria, we need a more comprehensive approach. This strategy should not only aim to develop human resources but also work towards fortifying organizations and synchronizing the systems they operate within.

Insights from global studies underscore that training builds knowledge, but knowledge alone does not necessarily translate into behavioral changes or enhanced performance.

Three notable findings emerge:

1\. Limited application of training without systemic support: Comprehensive studies on skills transfer reveal that learning acquired in training settings does not automatically convert into practical application or improved organizational output unless organizational conditions facilitate such a transition. Approximately 60-90% of knowledge gained during training goes unutilized when the workplace lacks necessary support structures like leadership, incentives, tools, and operational processes.

2\. Training supplemented with reinforcement is more effective: Evaluations indicate that participants who receive ongoing support like coaching and practical assignments experience double the skill retention and a 48% greater enhancement in work performance, underscoring the importance of follow-up activities to solidify training benefits.

3\. Training alone is insufficient, according to a World Bank IEG study: This research emphasizes that combining training with organizational reforms, institutional motivation, and engaged leadership is crucial for achieving significant developmental outcomes, pointing out that training in isolation rarely builds enduring capacity.

For Nigeria’s capacity development initiatives to be worthwhile, especially in agriculture and nutrition, there is an urgent need for targeted investments that go beyond merely organizing training events. It is vital to consider three interconnected levels of capacity:

1\. Individual capacity: There remains a demand for skills development in various areas, including technical, management, digital, financial, analytical, gender-focused, climate-adaptive, and leadership skills. Learning methodologies should be anchored in real-world challenges.

2\. Organizational capacity: This focuses on transforming learning into concrete productivity through the right resources, operational procedures, reporting frameworks, incentives, and a decision-making ethos. Without this foundation, even the most expertly trained individuals may not perform effectively.

3\. Institutional and system capacity: Effective food system transformation occurs at this level where coordination, robust accountability mechanisms, timely budgets, and political stability coalesce. Alignment across these three levels can convert learning into performance, which in turn can drive systemic change.

The complexity of Nigeria's food systems demands that development partners invest in capacity-building programs that not only cultivate skills but also address systemic challenges inhibiting growth, foster leadership support for education, and integrate training with practical guidance that hones decision- making, data utilization, inter-agency coordination, and stakeholder involvement.

Collaborative efforts involving participants in co-creating solutions enhance buy-in, while revised tools, standard operating procedures, and strategies help embed new competencies within organizations. Success should be gauged through advancements in coordination, service quality, decision-making capacity, data accuracy, and overall agricultural outcomes, rather than through mere attendance metrics. Ensuring funding resources, policy frameworks, and data systems are robust will help sustain these improvements over time.

While training is undeniably important, it must occur within a thoughtfully structured system to yield lasting changes. The current opportunity lies in ensuring these investments lead to profound, sustainable impacts. By adopting a systems-thinking perspective, capacity development can effectively shift from mere workshops to a strategic, structured pathway that strengthens institutions, invigorates public service effectiveness, enhances agricultural productivity, improves nutritional outcomes, and accelerates transformative changes across food systems.

Omini is a manager at Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition Limited.