Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) training empowers staff across Africa

Zawya

07-03-2025

The recent two-week training session hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization's Regional Office for Africa (FAO-RAF) in Harare has been hailed as a resounding success, equipping staff from across Africa with critical skills and fostering valuable connections.
Strengthening collaboration across borders
The training, which brought together 130 participants from 47 FAO Country Offices, focused on enhancing project management, operations, and cross-functional teamwork. According to the Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa, the training was designed to encourage networking and the creation of a platform for participants to maintain connections across the continent.
"My hope was that by the time you leave around this weekend, you have friends in all the countries, and I hope you have already created a WhatsApp group. This group should be called a Harare group? Because this is where you all met," said Patrice Talla.
Investing in People, Investing in the Future
The closing remarks emphasized the importance of investing in training and development, recognizing it as a crucial component of FAO's mission. Patrice Talla noted that while budgetary constraints may limit the frequency of such sessions, the organization is committed to making the training a permanent biennial event.
"It's never too much to invest in people. So that's why I think we should do that. I will talk to the ADG. We'll see how we can make this like a permanent training," said Patrice Talla.
Lessons from the field: Adapting to challenges
During the closing remarks, Patrice Talla shared two inspiring stories that highlighted the adaptability and problem-solving skills required in the field. The first story detailed a successful collaboration between FAO, UNICEF, and the European Union in Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe, where the organizations worked together to improve farming practices, WASH and nutrition education.
"What we saw in the field was speaking so much to our mandate, to UNICEF and to many other organizations. Why? Because we were able to work together. Through the Farmer Field School (FFS) we brought farmers together to train them on new techniques, conservation agriculture, in improving livestock agriculture and others. FAO and UNICEF trained what we call the lead farmers. Then each of the lead farmer trained a number of farmers, expanding impact' explained Patrice Talla.
The second story recounted the challenges faced in implementing a USD40 million locust response program in Madagascar, where Patrice Talla had to quickly adapt and learn new skills to overcome obstacles.
"I had to start implementing a three-year program for 40 million I've never done emergency I've never even interacted with colleagues from TC (Technical Cooperation) emergency programming at headquarters, but I had to do it. But how could I sort of start implementing a local program of 40 million I just opened my mind. I started reading. I started learning, discussing with colleagues, and that's what I learned I was hearing the term we need to go from invasion to remission," said Patrice Talla.
Connecting Country Offices through Task Forces and Technical Coordination Units
To further strengthen collaboration and knowledge-sharing, Patrice Talla highlighted the creation of task forces and technical coordination units (TCUs) within the FAO's Southern Africa Subregional Office for Southern Africa. These platforms bring together staff from various country offices to address challenges, share best practices, and provide technical support.
"We created what we call task forces, program, Task Force, operation, admin Task Force. And recently, when Joseph arrived, we created what we call the procurement Task Force, the membership of the program Task Force, all the technical officers, in the subregional office, all the assistant for our programs and the project managers. They are part of the task that product Task Force, and they meet on monthly basis," explained Patrice Talla.
The training session in Harare has undoubtedly left a lasting impact on the participants, equipping them with the skills and connections needed to drive positive change in their respective countries. As FAO continues to invest in its people, the organization is poised to make an even greater impact on food security and sustainable development across the African continent.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FAO Regional Office for Africa.