The Ekiti State Government has charged officials of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, MDAs, to acquire problem-solving skills and practical approaches for managing grievances during project implementation.
State Project Coordinator of the Ekiti Knowledge Zone, Miss Lolade Olutola, gave the charge in Ado-Ekiti at a capacity-building training on Grievance Redress Mechanism for government officials.
She said the training was vital because the Ekiti Knowledge Zone was established to drive special economic development, promote innovation and ensure crisis-free engagement between officials and citizens during projects.
According to her, the Programme Implementation Unit will sustain regular training for MDA officials to foster a knowledge-driven environment where enterprise can thrive.
Environmental Safeguard Specialist, Mr Ayodele Aluko, noted that grievances are inevitable in government projects, describing the training as timely to re-orient officials on handling such issues.
Aluko commended the state government, African Development Bank, and development partners for the initiative, urging participants to cascade the knowledge to their departments.
Safeguard consultant and resource person, Mr Biodun Kehinde, said effective grievance management between government and residents is key to project success.
He noted that while complaints are nearly unavoidable in projects, building civil servants’ capacity will ensure conflicts are managed and implementation remains socially sensitive.
Participants, including Mr Segun Adekola, Mrs Toyin Ayodele, and Dr Nafelix Oloketuyi, were drawn from MDAs executing projects likely to attract public complaints.
