Civil Society Organisations’ Professionalism and Effectiveness Therapy Workshop

ABOUT THE C-PET WORKSHOP
In September 2015, Access Bank and the CSR-in- Action entered an agreement to
develop capacity for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria; to train at least
1000 CSOs by 2016.
CSOs have been widely recognised as the essential ‘third’ sector due to the positive
influence their operations have on the state and the market. They are, therefore seen
as an increasingly important agent for promoting elements of good governance
including transparency, effectiveness, openness, responsiveness and accountability.
CSOs have been active in Nigeria since the 1930s and have since then grown into
an increasing number of over 800 CSOs (as recorded by the Nigerian Network of
NGOs (NNNGO)). The role of CSOs in sustainable development cannot be
overemphasised. Unfortunately, CSO operations have been plagued with recurrent
challenges, which indicate that some CSOs are incapacitated to achieve these
goals. Based on research into this key sector, some recurrent challenges identified
were: planning, implementation, financing, monitoring, and professional writing &
communication.
Our partnership is, therefore, a tripartite approach to achieve the following through
various capacity development initiatives. Our partnership aims:
1. To provide affordable and relevant capacity building training to CSOs
2. To inspire and drive professional ethics in the business operations of CSOs,
thereby driving sustainability in social investment projects
3. To create new solutions to the prevalent challenges faced by private
organisations in seeking partnerships with CSOs