Participants Hail WACSI Training, Pledge Stronger Compliance to Protect Civic Space
By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna
Participants at the just-concluded three-day training on Civic Space Protection and Regulatory Compliance have commended the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) for equipping civil society organisations (CSOs) with practical knowledge to strengthen governance, improve regulatory compliance and build resilience against growing threats to civic space.
The training, held for civil society organisations from Abuja, Nasarawa and Kaduna states under the Civic Space Resource Hub (CSR-HUB) Nigeria Cohort IV project, ended with participants pledging to apply the lessons learned within their organisations and calling for similar opportunities to be extended to more grassroots organisations.
In his closing remarks, WACSI’s Programme Officer in the Policy Influencing and Advocacy Unit, John Frinjuah, described the participants as one of the most active and engaging cohorts the institute has worked with.
He said the quality of discussions reflected the wealth of experience in the room, noting that many participants were executive directors and senior managers who enriched the training by sharing practical experiences from their organisations.
“This has been one of the most active and participatory groups we have had. Beyond learning from the facilitator, participants also learned from one another, and that peer learning is one of the greatest strengths of this programme,” he said.
Frinjuah explained that the objective of the training was not merely to strengthen individual organisations but to contribute to building a stronger civil society sector capable of responding effectively to threats against civic space.
“There is little value in having a few strong organisations when the wider civil society constituency continues to struggle. We want the lessons from this training to strengthen organisations across the region so that together we can respond more effectively to civic space challenges,” he stated.
He assured participants that WACSI’s engagement would not end with the training, announcing that organisations would have access to coaching and mentorship support to help them implement the action plans developed during the programme.
According to him, participants who require technical or advisory support can formally request coaching, which will be tailored to the specific needs of their organisations.
Frinjuah also encouraged participants to remain connected with WACSI, noting that they had become part of the institute’s growing regional network of civil society organisations and would continue to benefit from future learning opportunities, partnerships and engagements.
Participants, in turn, praised the organisers for delivering what many described as a transformative learning experience.
According to them, the three-day programme is “an eye-opener,” saying it had deepened participants’ understanding of governance, accountability and regulatory compliance.
“The past three days have meant so much to me personally and to my organisation. We have gained practical knowledge that will help us build stronger institutions and avoid compliance mistakes,” the participants said.
The participants also applauded the facilitator for his engaging and interactive teaching style, describing his delivery as exceptional.
“I would score the facilitator 100 out of 100. His ability to manage discussions, encourage participation and keep everyone engaged throughout the sessions was outstanding,” the participant added.
The participants urged WACSI to expand the programme to include more emerging and grassroots organisations, arguing that early capacity building would help young organisations establish strong governance and compliance systems from the outset.
“If we catch them early, many mistakes can be prevented. This kind of training should reach more local organisations that are just starting out,” the participant said.
Participants also pledged to implement the knowledge gained during the training within their respective organisations, stressing that stronger institutions are essential to improving accountability and protecting civic space in Nigeria.
The three-day training formed part of WACSI’s Civic Space Resource Hub initiative, which seeks to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations across West Africa to navigate regulatory challenges, improve institutional resilience and promote an enabling environment for civic action.
