The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has commenced training of its staff and States Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) on critical aspects of disaster management for efficient service delivery to save lives and property aimed at further strengthening capacity for flood response and other disasters in the country.
A statement on Tuesday, 12th September 2023 signed by the NEMA Head of Press Unit, Mr. Manzo Ezekiel, said that the training is part of a sustained effort by NEMA under the leadership of Director General Mustapha Habib Ahmed to reposition the Agency towards efficient delivery of its mandates in timely coordination of disaster management in the country.
Speaking at the opening of the training in Abuja on Tuesday, the Director General NEMA Mustapha Habib Ahmed explained that it was designed to strengthen the capacity of NEMA and SEMA officials in Humanitarian Coordination Mechanism; Disaster Management Cycle, and Institutional Capacity; Resource Mobilization; Information Management; Community-Based Disaster Management; Search and Rescue; Incident Command System; Disaster Preparedness; Risk Management; and Early Warning System among others.
He said “Training of personnel is a critical component for effective and efficient disaster management,” adding that NEMA will continue to explore avenues to develop the capacity of its staff and stakeholders to ensure that all the principles and practices of disaster management are institutionalized.
In line with the desire to continuously improve the capacity of the stakeholders in disaster management, he said NEMA facilitated training programmes for the SEMAs in collaboration with United State Fire Service in January 2023 and with Bournemouth University Disaster Management Center in February, 2023. He added that arrangement was already being made for another capacity development programme to be held in the near future.
The Director General NEMA Mustapha Habib Ahmed also harped on partnership with development partners in the area stakeholders’ capacity training, especially as the training was organized in collaboration with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), noting that it was “a step in the right direction to enhance the capacity of Federal and State emergency management officers.”
In her remark, the Deputy Head of UN-OCHA Office in Nigeria Esty Sukoyo assured that OCHA will sustain collaboration with NEMA in line with its mandates. She advised participants to make the best of the training to improve their skills and also cascade to their various offices.
The training programme for the NEMA and SEMA Staff was organized in collaboration with the UNOCHA and with support from UNICEF, and the International Federation of Red Cross.
