Back in December, ACCESS Benin hosted some workshops to bring the year 2022 to a close. With respect to the goals of the ACCESS project, they saw the need to hold some information sessions with students, researchers, and entrepreneurs.
The first workshop on Grant Writing was organized on 08th of December 2022 at Ecole polytechnique d’Abomey (EPAC), Calavi. The objective of this event was to equip participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to successfully apply for funding from international organizations. The workshop was attended by about 35 participants, who were mainly students and young researchers. The workshop was led by Robertson Klaingar, Coordinator of ACCESS Benin. The sessions focused on key aspects of grant writing such as identifying funding opportunities, developing strong proposals, and building effective partnerships. The participants also had the opportunity to pose questions based on the information they had received. By the end of the workshop, participants left with a better understanding of the grant writing process and the skills needed to successfully apply for funding.
Secondly, a quality management workshop was recently held on the 13th of December at the ACCESS Benin Facility in Cotonou. The event aimed to educate on effective quality management strategies and techniques. The workshop was attended by about 16 people. The participants were majorly from the food and food business sector. The workshop was managed by Ir. Carine Avoce, an expert in quality assurance, and featured a series of presentations and interactive sessions. Topics covered included outlining and developing a quality assurance approach as well as piloting it in different steps. The participants were able to gain practical insights and skills that will help them to improve the quality of their products or services. This workshop ended with a discussion on next steps for the participants to implement their newfound knowledge within their respective organizations and projects. Overall, the workshop was a big success and received positive feedback from the attendees.
In third position of the workshop series, a podcasting workshop was organized on 15th of December 2022 at the ACCESS Benin Headquarters with the goal of teaching participants the basics of podcast production and creation. Eight participants, who were interested in learning how to create and launch their own podcasts, were welcomed. Robertson Klaingar, coordinator of ACCESS Benin, led the session where he covered topics such as podcast planning and concept development, recording and editing techniques, and promotion and distribution strategies. The participants were actively engaged throughout the sessions, sharing their own experiences and ideas. By the end of the workshop, participants had a solid understanding of the podcasting process and were equipped with the tools and knowledge needed to create and launch their own podcasts. Next steps were discussed and a platform to provide further support was made available.
Finally, the last workshop was held again on Grant Writing on 16.12.22 at the Institut National de l’Education Physique et du Sport (INEPS), Porto-Novo. Due to the similarity of the theme, the objective didn’t change much besides the interactive exchange session that was included. The workshop was attended by over 350 participants, who were mainly students in the fields of physical education & sports and entrepreneurship. After the information session led by Robertson Klaingar, the participants were later grouped into cohorts of five individuals to brainstorm on grant writing ideas. This exercise gave them a taste of possible scenarios they might encounter when applying for a grant.
Altogether, it was an industrious schedule with which to end the year. Moreover, the possibilities of customized workshops to help with graduate employability presented itself and ACCESS Benin, in collaboration with its partners, will offer more hands-on trainings and workshops in the months to come.