The Association of Directors of Social Development, Information, Education, Youths, Sports and Culture, ADSDIEYSC, South-West Geo-political Zone, Nigeria, has organized a capacity-building training for local government social development workforce, with a call for greater professionalism, competence and commitment to effective service delivery at the grassroots.
The training, which brought together Directors and other social development personnel, was aimed at strengthening their capacity to respond effectively to the changing social needs of the people and improve service delivery at the local government level.
The programme was held under the theme, “Strengthening the Capacity of Local Government Social Welfare Workforce for Effective Social Welfare Service Delivery.”Declaring the programme open and delivering the keynote address, the Permanent Secretary, Ondo State Local Government Service Commission, Professor Bayo Ilawole, emphasized the strategic importance of the local government system in bringing government closer to the people.Professor Ilawole urged participants to take advantage of the training to acquire new knowledge and improve their professional capacity, stressing that competence, compassion and responsiveness must remain key watchwords for social development officers.
The Permanent Secretary described the local government workforce as an important component of grassroots development, noting that the effectiveness of government programmes often depends on the ability of officers at the local level to translate policies into practical interventions that positively affect the lives of citizens.
He encouraged participants to move beyond theoretical knowledge and apply the ideas and lessons gained from the training to their various local government areas.
Professor Ilawo further stressed the importance of continuous learning in the face of emerging technologies and changing societal realities.He observed that the ideas gathered from the training should not end in the classroom but should be developed into policies, systems and practical approaches capable of bringing meaningful change to the lives of the people. In his words, “Lucky is NULGE and NULGE is Lucky,” underscoring the importance of the relationship between the local government workforce and organized labour in promoting effective administration and service delivery.
Earlier in his welcome address, Barrister Femi Babalola appreciated the participants and organizers for their commitment to strengthening the capacity of the social development workforce.He noted that the training was particularly important at a time when local governments were confronted with new social challenges requiring innovative and professional responses.
The representative of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Comrade Akinmolayan Emmanuel, also highlighted the importance of collaboration and capacity development in ensuring that local government workers were adequately equipped to perform their responsibilities.
The training featured lectures and presentations on contemporary issues affecting social development and grassroots communication.Among the resource persons were Prince Aladenika Sunday who spoke extensively on the theme while Prince Adetona Aderoboye, took participants through areas relating to Artificial Intelligence, mass media and grassroots communication, emphasizing the need for social development officers to understand and effectively utilize modern communication tools in reaching the people.
The presentations exposed participants to the opportunities presented by emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence, in information dissemination, communication and improving the efficiency of government and social development programmes.
The interactive sessions also provided participants with an opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and discuss some of the challenges confronting social development administration at the local government level.Participants examined practical ways of improving communication with communities, identifying social needs and ensuring that government interventions were effectively communicated and delivered to the intended beneficiaries.
The training further emphasized the need for social development officers to remain responsive to the people, work collaboratively with relevant stakeholders and continuously update their knowledge in order to meet contemporary demands.
Participants described the programme as timely and impactful, expressing optimism that the knowledge acquired would be applied in their respective local government areas to improve grassroots service delivery.
The organizers reaffirmed their commitment to continuous professional development and capacity building of local government personnel, noting that a well-trained workforce remains essential to achieving sustainable social development.
The programme ended with a vote of thanks delivered by Mr. Oyewunmi Oyedotun, who appreciated the organizers, keynote speaker, resource persons and participants for their contributions to the success of the training.He expressed hope that the lessons and experiences shared during the programme would translate into improved performance and more effective social development services across the South-West.
