Access to ICT during training workshops, a lesson from AGORA/TEEAL workshop in Nigeria

Participants at  the AGORA/TEEAL workshop using personal laptops
 and  broadband modems to access online resources

On 18 August 2015, I walked into a meeting room at the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. The room was to be the venue for The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library (TEEAL) / Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA) Training-of-Trainers Workshop, 18 – 20 August 2015, which required the use of computers connected to the Internet (for AGORA) and local intranet (for TEEAL). The only ICT facilities available in the room were an LCD projector and a laptop belonging to my co-facilitator, Ms Olanyika Fatoki from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. There were no computers in sight for use by the 35 participants we were expecting to take part in the workshop.

I feared for the worst.

Since 2004, one major challenge that I and colleagues at the Information Training and Outreach Centre for Africa (ITOCA) have experienced, when planning training workshops on using Research4Life electronic resources, has been finding a room or venue with adequate ICT facilities to accommodate the more than 30 participants that usually attend such workshops.  Searching, viewing and retrieving PDF versions of scientific journal articles are a major component of the training AGORA training workshops.

Walking a training room without computers connected to the Internet was not re-assuring at all.

I was wrong and worried for nothing.

On the second day of the workshop, when most of the practical work and exercises on retrieving online resource from AGORA and TEEAL database were scheduled to take place, the training room had 35 participants in attendance and most of them had access to computing devices connected to the Internet.

Most of the participants brought their personal laptops and broadband modems (and wireless broadband routers) to the workshop, and were enthusiastically following the presentations/demonstrations and taking part in practical exercises requiring them to conduct online searches on AGORA. About four participants, who did not have laptops, used their smartphones to access AGORA, conduct searches and retrieve PDF versions of journal articles.

A workshop participant using her smartphone to carry out
practical exercises on AGORA

This development, where individuals have personal access to mobile ICT facilities should also make it relatively easy to organize training workshops requiring the use of ICT facilities. The cost of hiring ICT facilities, and sometimes sophisticated computer rooms, can now be reduced.

This also should have an impact on the provision of digital-based library and information services to users especially in academic institutions. If potential users of scholarly online resources have access to ICTs, potentially allowing them to access digital resources anytime from anywhere, librarians in Africa should re-think their information services’ provision strategies. There is no need to continue focusing on providing digital-based information services to users within the four walls of library buildings.

Attracting the youth to agriculture: where are the role models?

Ask any young man in Africa who wants to be a top African soccer star whom he would want to be and the names of Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Adebayo, Samuel Eto, Asamoah Gyan and a host of other names would pop up. How about as a top African actress? Lupita Nyong'o, Omotola Jelade-Ekeinde, Genevieve Nnaji, Omoni Oboli, Patience Ozokwor (Mama G), etc. will be mentioned. How about actors? Desmond Elliot, Ramsey Noah, Nkem Owoh, Jim Iyke and many others. These are role models if not “idols” for millions of youth in Africa. They are what dreams are made of for many aspiring footballers, actors and actresses Africa.

All professions in Africa have role models for the youth, may be except agriculture. Or are they there? If so, where are they?

If Africa is to attract the youth to agriculture, whom should we introduce to them as a role model?

e-Debate on "Youth sustaining family farming through ICTs" - 22 September - 7 October 2014

From: The ARDYIS Project Team, CTA

In the context of the International Year of Family Farming, and in the framework of its ARDYIS project, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), in collaboration with the African Youth Foundation (AYF) is organising an e-debate on “Youth sustaining family farming through ICTs” on the ARDYIS discussion group (http://dgroups.org/groups/youth) from 22^nd September – 7^th October 2014.

During the 3 weeks, the discussions will be focused on youth, family farming and ICTs (experiences, opportunities, challenges, recommendations) and several Subject Matter Experts will be joining the debate to share their experience and answer to youth questions/queries. By the end of the debate, a synthesis report will be prepared and shared on the occasion of the World Food Day 2014.

Please find the announcement on the e-debate here: http://bit.ly/1p7aFC1 and a short introductory note on the topic here: http://bit.ly/1rH4XZh

You are invited to participate in the debate and share your views. Kindly also share this information with people in your networks who might be interested to take part!