By Sa’idu Bappa-Malala & Haruna Abdulrashid
The United States Agency for International Development has organised a three-day capacity building workshop for information managers on the development of Standard Operational Procedure.
Speaking shortly before the commencement of the workshop which held at Custodian Hotel Gombe, the State2state Communications Specialist; Israel Onu Odiba, said the objectives of the workshop is to enhance the understanding of the participants and guide them towards the development of SOP in order to improve service delivery.
Odiba further stated that, the workshop will also help in deepening the understanding of the participants on the SOP structure and components.
He highlighted the areas expected to be covered to include the roles and responsibilities, communication channels, reporting mechanism, quality assurance, and feedback.
“Other areas also focused on the presentation of effective writing for SOP, Communication protocols, social media management amongst others,” Odiba said.
Earlier while declaring the workshop open, the State Team Lead; Mohammed Abubakar, took the participants through the mission and vision of State2State in Gombe from inception to date and a Standard Operating Procedure for the Gombe State Ministry of Information and Culture – Developed with support from State2State.
He urged participants to take the three days event seriously and to be impartial in reporting governance, development to citizens and guide government to implement citizens led development initiatives.
He also added that, State2State will refine the contents made by the participants and present the final draft for validation by the Ministry.
The SOP will offer a structured and uniform methodology for conveying information, facilitating better coordination among Information Officers, and enhancing the overall effectiveness of government communication.
State2State continues to work with the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, to ensure the allocation and release of funds for priority service delivery sectors of basic education, primary healthcare, and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.
He then assured that the project will further engage other critical stakeholders in major operational areas in achieving its objectives in the state.
In her keynote address, the Gombe State Focal Officer State2state Local Government Manager; Hajiya Zariyatu Abubakar Habu-Hashidu, welcomed the participants and appreciated the Ministry of Information for the opportunity to organise this training and called on the beneficiaries of the workshop to be proactive in order to effectively grasp the knowledge that is going to be impacted, saying that “State2state will always support the ministry on the angle of communication strategy for enhanced performance and effective flow of information.”
She further said that State2State would always collaborate with the ministry to bring interventions to ensure that it has clear consistent guidelines for its internal and external publics.
In their separate goodwill messages, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information; Alhaji Ibrahim Suleiman, represented by the Director Administration and Finance; Alhaji Murtala Sambo, Director Information; Richard James, and the NUJ Chairman Comrade Saidu Bappah-Malala, commended State2state for organising and funding such a very important training for information officers to equip them with the knowledge of drafting and development of the SOP to enhance performance, describing the training as timely, especially looking at the changes in the system adding that “it will go a long way in improving the capacity of the participants to conform with the current realities found in the profession.”
They called on the beneficiaries of the training to avail themselves the opportunity the workshop offers to further build their capacity to deliver what is expected.
Some of the participants in an interview with PERISCOPE NIGERIA appreciated State2State for organising the training and assured that they would use the knowledge acquired by putting into practice for effective service delivery.
