The Nutrition Department of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning (FMBEP) successfully conducted a series of three capacity-building retreats aimed at strengthening staff knowledge, leadership abilities, and coordination skills for advancing nutrition-sensitive development in Nigeria.
The retreats, delivered in three batches between May and August 2025, brought together 195 staff members across various grade levels and five facilitators for an intensive learning experience on food and nutrition concepts, inter-ministerial collaboration, and the strategic integration of nutrition into national planning processes.
Batch Schedule & Participation
To accommodate diverse grade levels, the trainings were conducted in the following batches:
- Batch 1 (GL 13 & 14): 9th–10th May 2025 — 65 participants
- Batch 2 (GL 10–15): 15th–16th August 2025 — 65 participants
- Batch 3 (GL 10 & 12): 22nd–24th August 2025 — 65 participants
All sessions were hosted at Jemmyland Hotels, Mararaba, Nasarawa State, with attendance recorded through the Department’s digital training dashboard for seamless coordination and tracking.
HLADI’s Technical Contribution
HLADI provided full technical support throughout the retreat, ensuring structured coordination, real-time monitoring, and quality assurance.
Key contributions included:
- Deployment of the FMBEP Training Dashboard developed by HLADI for tracking participation and measuring session effectiveness.
- Digital registration and real-time online attendance marking for all participants.
- Administration of pre- and post-tests to assess knowledge gained across the three batches.
- Monitoring, evaluation, and data reporting using the dashboard to ensure evidence-based decision-making and improved training efficiency.
These interventions enhanced the professionalism of the retreat and strengthened data-driven accountability for the training outcomes.
Training Focus
The retreat deepened staff capacity in several key areas, including:
- Core concepts in food and nutrition
- Multisectoral coordination across MDAs
- Leadership for nutrition program planning
- Integrating nutrition into national economic development frameworks
- Identifying and addressing coordination gaps at policy and implementation levels
Participants engaged in group work, interactive sessions, case studies, and peer-to-peer learning.
Key Outcomes
Across the three batches, the retreat recorded significant achievements:
- Strengthened understanding of the link between nutrition, economic growth, and national development
- Improved capacity for multisectoral teamwork and leadership
- Clearer strategies for strengthening coordination within the national nutrition ecosystem
- Reinforced commitment to integrating nutrition objectives into the Ministry’s planning and decision-making processes
Looking Ahead
The Nutrition Department emphasized the need for sustained capacity-building efforts, stronger cross-sector collaboration, and continuous use of digital tools for monitoring and evaluation. The retreat represents a major step toward improving Nigeria’s nutrition governance, accelerating progress toward national development targets.