The development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) organised a one-day orientation on Leadership and Management under the SOGON-FIGO Leadership Development Initiative (LDI) to strengthen the capacities of the new SOGON Leadership to lead the organisation in the next two years.

The programme is part of the ongoing SOGON’s LDI project funded by FIGO and supported by the dRPC as a subgrantee.

The orientation saw the presentation of previous working relations between SOGON and the dRPC, a review of the ongoing leadership and mentoring project at the national level and four other states and the next steps under the project.

The outline of the presentation is as follows:

dRPC–SOGON partnership since 2014- 2023

1. Successfully advocated the reinstating of a budget line for Family Planning Funding Commitments At the National Level when this was previously absent.
2. Recognized as National Reproductive Health Technical Working Group As Advocacy And Accountability Chair of the FMOH.
3. Supported the Development, Printing, Launching, And Dissemination Of the FP Blueprint 2020-2024 Policy Document to include an accountability component.
4. Supported the Task Shifting, Task Sharing Policy Development and Launch.
5. Supported the Family Planning 2030 Recommitment Policy development and launch.

Overview of the dRPC’s role in the LDI project

• In 2013, FIGO, a 3-year grant funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to Implement the LOGIC project
• Member Societies – 8 in Africa and Asia, Nigeria as a focus country
• LOGIC – Leadership in Obstetrics and Gynaecology for Impact and Change, Initiative, FIGO
• Goal – to develop the capacity of national associations in Africa and Asia
• Project Result. Electronic resource of materials (http://figo-toolkit.org/) produced for organisational capacity development and advocacy for revision of clinical guideline
• Internet search shows over 20 peer-reviewed papers, including by Harvard, written on LOGIC projects with most referencing the Nigeria case study

Leadership Development Initiative (LDI): Improving Maternal And Newborn Health Outcomes Through Advocacy And Improved Care 2022-2025

To (2) Sets of Outcomes in the LDI Project –

• Leadership Outcomes
• Clinical Outcomes

The Leadership component is expected to deliver Improved advocacy and communication skills and competencies in Member Societies of FIGO to enable national and regional bodies to accelerate the adoption of new (and existing) solutions for women’s health and improved pregnancy.

The dRPC supports SOGON in delivering on the Leadership Outcomes of the LDI Project:

1. Enhanced leadership skills including, but not limited to, the areas of organisational management (financial, grants), advocacy, gender, youth, accountability, women-centred care
2. Increased numbers of publications and speaking engagements by the Member Society

 Overview of the dRPC’s role in the LDI project (4 of 5)
Pillar 1 – Outcomes activities

1. Mainstreaming and support for four step-down trainings;
2. Monitoring and mentoring of SOGON EXCO to track and support the application of new Leadership and management capacities to deliver projects with technical and inclusion components;
3. Assessment of SOGON EXCO’s capacity to identify publication and speaking opportunities to showcase work in new spaces around gender and service delivery in health facilities;
4. Advocacy engagements, including dialogues, visits, and presentations to policymakers at the state level in 4 project states;
5. Barrier Assessment tools and tracking forms.

dRPC-led activities conducted to date and achievements

Primary Outcome 1: Enhanced leadership of the Member Society – SOGON

1. Activities – 5 Leadership Training workshops One leadership mentorship program
2. Methodology – Participatory/adult learning approaches
3. Structure – 1 TOT followed by four state step-down workshops
4. SOGON members trained between June to September – 79
5. Training Team – dRPC and the National Institute (NIPSS)

LEADERSHIP TRAINING	DATES	NUMBER TRAINED
Training of Trainers (TOT)	14th to 16th June 2023	16
Kano	20th– 21st September 2023	19
Gombe	20th– 21st September 2023	13
Enugu	25th– 26th September 2023	17
Lagos	25th– 26th September 2023	14

The highlight of the event was a courtesy call led by the new SOGON Exco to the Executive Director of dRPC, Dr Judith-Ann Walker and the management team at the dRPC office in Jabi, Abuja