By IIbrahim Baba
A Nongovernmental organization in Bauchi, Grassroots Centre Africa (GCA), has empowered youth groups and women in two communities of Ningi Local Government Areas of Bauchi State in an effort to strengthen good governance at the grassroot level.
The initiative, titled “Building Powerful Community Influencers,” was held from September 4th to 5th in Tiffi Guda and from September 7th to 8th in Dingis, targeting four communities across two Local Government Areas of Ningi and Alkaleri.
The Centre with the support of LEAP Africa through the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF), conducted series of training sessions aimed at empowering community influencers in Bauchi State.
The first phase of the training held in the two communities of Ningi LGA, was aimed at building community structures that help grassroots communities unify their priorities and equipping members with the skills to influence decision-making in their local government and beyond.
Speaking during the training session, Executive Director of Grassroots Centre Africa Mohammed Chiroma Hassan, emphasized the importance of this initiative in bridging the gap between grassroots communities and governance processes.
“Despite efforts at the national and state levels, grassroots communities still view these developments from a distance. The community structure we have established will serve as the mouthpiece of these communities, organizing and mobilizing them to hold the government accountable” he said.
According to him, over the course of four days, two days in each community, 50 participants were trained on various topics, including budget tracking, public expenditure tracking, priority setting, gender mainstreaming, and advocacy strategies.
“The goal is to equip these community members with the necessary skills to influence decision-making at both the local and state levels”.
The training sessions were part of a larger effort to address the ongoing marginalization of communities at the bottom of the societal pyramid.
“These communities often suffer from a lack of access to basic social services and only engage with elected officials during election seasons” he noted.
He stressed that the exclusion of grassroot communities from governance processes has led to widespread disenchantment and lack of trust in government institutions. Hence, the need to empower members them with the necessary skills in order to close the gap.
The training was inclusive, involving representatives from various community groups, including youth leaders, women leaders, people with special needs, traditional institutions, farmers’ associations, and religious leaders.
“This diversity ensures that the influencing platforms reflect the voices and priorities of the entire community” Chiroma noted.
Speaking to newsmen, one of the participants, chairman of the Ward Development Committee, expressed gratitude to Grassroots Centre Africa and NYFF for the training.
“Our lives as a community will never be the same. We are now equipped with the right tools to engage the government and bring the needed development to our communities.”
The goal of the initiative is to promote citizen inclusion for sustainable development, in an effort to improve trust in governance processes, so as to enhance service delivery at the local level, and encourage active citizen engagement in governance.
