The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) has expanded its operations in Nigeria, with a focus on helping civil society organizations (CSOs) raise funds locally.
The move comes as CSOs in Nigeria face increasing challenges in securing funding from international donors. A recent survey by WACSI found that 42.2% of CSOs in Nigeria experienced delayed or reduced funding from donors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to this challenge, WACSI has organized a 5-day training course on local fundraising for 17 staff members from 9 CSOs in Abuja. The training, which was funded by the Ford Foundation, covered a range of topics, including:
Identifying potential local donors
Developing fundraising proposals
Managing donor relationships
Participants in the training said that they found it to be very helpful. “I appreciate the training content because even from the first day, I already have tips and ideas on how to improve local fundraising techniques in my organisation,” said one participant.
Another participant, Abubakar Mohammed, Resource Mobilisation Officer of Africa Youth Growth Foundation, said that the training made him realize the importance of mobilizing resources from within Nigeria to complement the resources his organization generates from foreign-based donors.
“This programme will be important for our organisation because, initially, we have been focused on foreign based resource mobilisation by writing grant proposals and we have been made to understand that there is a huge potential for mobilising resources locally, here in Nigeria,” he said.
