MEAL Training Will Produce Competent M&E Officers for Ondo Water Secto ~ Expert.

MEAL Training Will Produce Competent M&E Officers for Ondo Water Secto ~ Expert.

The African Development Bank Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant, Dr. Opeyemi Adejuwan, has said the three-day Project Monitoring, Evaluation, Adaptation and Learning (MEAL) training will produce competent Monitoring and Evaluation officers capable of providing professional consultancy services and contributing to the development of Ondo State.

Participants in Technical Session.

Adejuwan stated this during the capacity-building training organised for M&E officers of the Ondo State Water Corporation and other participants under the Nigeria Urban Water Sector Reform and Akure Water Supply and Sanitation Project, which was held in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

AfDB Monitoring & Evaluation (M & E) Consultant, Dr. Opeyemi Adejuwan.

He said the training was designed to equip the participants with the knowledge, skills and professional competence required to effectively monitor and evaluate projects across their respective departments.

According to him, the participants would emerge from the training as competent consultants and specialists capable of establishing themselves professionally even after leaving the civil service.

He added that the knowledge and skills acquired would enable them to provide consultancy services to government agencies and organisations while also assisting the state in carrying out its activities across various departments.

“We are trying to build competent M&E officers within Ondo State,” Adejuwan said.

Dr. Adejuwon also emphasised that the training has been deliberately structured into four modules. This approach was adopted because MEAL is a broad and technical field that cannot be adequately covered through a one-off training.

Earlier, the Ondo State Commissioner for Water Resources, Public Sanitation and Hygiene, Hon. Ayodele Akande (FCA), declared the training open and described capacity building as the engine of the civil service.

Ondo State Commissioner for Water Resources, Public Sanitation and Hygiene, Hon. Ayodele Akande (FCA).

Akande said capacity building was essential to equipping workers with adequate knowledge, professional skills and competence required to provide effective and efficient service delivery.

He urged the participants to consider themselves fortunate to have benefited from the programme, saying it was designed to equip them with standard professional knowledge and practical skills that would enhance their performance.

The commissioner encouraged the participants to make maximum use of the knowledge acquired, stressing that the training was an investment in their future and professional development.

He recalled that professionals in the past had to spend their personal resources, including money, energy and time, to acquire relevant training, noting that the participants were privileged to receive the programme free of charge through the support of the Ondo State Government, the management of the Ondo State Water Corporation and the African Development Bank.

The commissioner charged them to apply the knowledge gained to their official responsibilities, particularly in monitoring and evaluating projects under their respective departments.

Akande appreciated the Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, for his commitment and support to the water sector, while commending the management of the African Development Bank for sponsoring the training.

He stressed that the importance of capacity building could not be neglected or overlooked, describing it as a major component of an effective civil service because it equips workers with the knowledge, understanding and competence required to provide purposeful, efficient and effective service delivery across the state.

Also speaking, the AfDB Project Manager, Engr. Kehinde Michael, commended Governor Aiyedatiwa, the Commissioner and the management of the African Development Bank for supporting the training programme.

AfDB Project Manager, Engr. Kehinde Michael.

Michael explained that the programme was designed to improve the capacity of the participants, particularly in adaptation, and prepare them for future tasks and professional responsibilities.

He urged the participants to pay close attention to the training and actively participate in the sessions, describing it as a participatory programme.

The project manager expressed optimism that the knowledge acquired would contribute to the participants’ professional development and wished them successful careers.

In his remarks, the AfDB Procurement Consultant, Engr. Adebola Lawrence, urged the participants to be diligent, hardworking and committed to their duties wherever they were assigned to work in the state.

AfDB Procurement Consultant, Engr. Adebola Lawrence.

Lawrence advised them to utilise the knowledge and skills acquired during the training to carry out their responsibilities effectively and efficiently.

He stressed the need for the participants to translate the lessons learnt into practical results and maintain professionalism in the discharge of their duties.

 General Manager of the Ondo State Water Corporation, Engr. Omoge Oluwasomi Vincent.

The General Manager of the Ondo State Water Corporation, Engr. Omoge Oluwasomi Vincent, addressed the participants on the core values of the training and encouraged them to set high professional standards and maintain strong morals that would enable them to achieve positive results in their careers and lives.