The Oromia Agricultural Growth Program Capacity Development Support Facility (AGP2-CDSF), in collaboration with Regional AGP Coordination Unit (AGP CU), organized a senior leadership training from October 27 to 29, 2017 at the Dire Hotel in Adama city. Heads and deputy heads of institutions representing agriculture, cooperatives, livestock, the environment, coffee, and others were present, including the deputy head of the Women’s Affairs Bureau.
The purpose of the training was to enhance the capacity of senior public-sector leaders responsible for two large-scale agriculture and food security programs, the AGP and PSNP through introducing situational leadership model that includes gender-competent skills. The training will help leaders to develop the capacity of their staff to effectively lead and manage agricultural and other public-sector programs, including AGP.
Opening the training sessions, Deputy Bureau Head of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Desalegn Guma, said that the Oromia Regional State is implementing many activities that contribute to the overall transformation of the agriculture sector. He added that the regional government is currently deploying a significant amount of physical, and human resources to improve agricultural production and productivity, and this has created a huge need for staff capacity development in technical as well as leadership areas. The deputy bureau head also hailed efforts underway by AGP2 CDSF to develop the capacity of regional sectors implementing AGP
Sacha Innes, the AGP2 CDSF Director, on her part said that AGP2 CDSF has been providing capacity development support to AGP implementing agencies and AGP-CU through introducing a systematic capacity development approach. CDSF has been providing technical support in important areas such as capacity development; institutional coordination; program management, planning and monitoring and evaluation; agricultural extension; and facilitating the identification of agricultural technologies that are gender, nutrition and/or climate-smart sensitive. CDSF provides specific support to AGP’s environmental and social management framework.
Sacha Innes and Arthur Delabie, an international leadership and human resource co-facilitated the training. Ms. Innes has worked with Ethiopian agricultural public-sector leaders and managers for over six years, and Mr. Delabie has trained over 2000 public sector leaders in over 40 countries – including Ethiopia.
Situational leadership is a model of leadership that encompasses many leadership theories including transformation leadership. Mr. Delabie taught participants how to use the model to support their staff to perform better in their jobs. The model emphasizes that leaders must assess each situation against the “readiness” level of their staff, and adjust his/her leadership style accordingly. Through situational leadership, participants discussed how to encourage more women experts to become leaders.
At the end of the training, participants were awarded certificates of participation and a leadership book.
Closing the workshop Abdurrahman Abdela, Regional Head of the Oromia Coffee and Tea Authority, urged participants to share the knowledge they gained from the training with their colleagues to transform their respective organizations.
