The need to improve the capacity of Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria received a boost with the commissioning of a state of the art training facility in Abuja by the Country Director of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, BMGF Mr Paulin Basinga.

The training facility known as the Abdulraufu Mustapha CSO Training Center was the first of its kind in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Declaring the centre open, Mr Basinga described the training facility as a very big step towards increasing the capacity of the CSOs to make great impact in the overall interest of Nigerians, especially in areas of critical healthcare delivery challenges in the country.

He said that the BMGF will continue to work with local organizations as front runners in the struggle to improve issues around healthcare delivery in the country.

In her speech, the Country Director of Development Research and Project Centre, an indigenous CSO that is leading the coalition of non-governmental organizations under the Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health at Scale, PACFaH@Scale, Dr Judith Ann- Walker, said the Centre will serve as a reservoir of resource for all CSOs free of charge.

‘All CSOs, NGOs and other Non Profit Organizations who need the facility to hold meetings, conferences, training and other activities are free to come and use the facility free of charge’ She said

The facility is run by PACFaH@scale project, a project of Seven  CSOs working in the areas of Routine Immunization, Family Planning, Childhood killer diseases, and Primary Healthcare Under One Roof, PHCUOR.