Training and capacity building

Training of NARS

Regular group training courses for NARS collaborators are conducted annually. Such training courses training courses in impact assessment have been organized since 2002 on eight occasions for a length of two days to two weeks.

More than 100 scientists and research assistants have been trained in these multi-country courses, which have been backed up by on-the-job training sessions in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, The Gambia and Togo for NARS collaborators and graduate and post-graduate students. Impact assessment methodology and the techniques involved in the design and implementation of impact assessment studies, including the use of SPSS and Stata, are among the topics covered. Further seminars were organized in Senegal and The Gambia for nearly 60 WARDA staff and NARS partners to present and discuss impact assessment concepts and methodologies and impact pathways and outcomes of agricultural research.

Since 2002, the following is a list of annual trainings conducted and participants that attended the courses.

Training of Students

Eight students based in NARS (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal) have been assisted in the completion of theses – mostly at the DIA or DEA levels – related to impact assessment, and one PhD candidate has a thesis in preparation.

Co-supervision of student, internship and thesis

The following are some students that have been supervised by Dr Alio Diagne. The students are from the University of Abomey Caravi as follows.

1. Alfred Kapanara_ Yero
2. Dennis Mouzoun

Internship

Students from the university have participated in a number of internships with WARDA since the establishment of the impact assessment unit