As part of the Project preparation and readiness, L-PRES organized an “International Executive Training on Project Readiness and Implementation” to enable GPT members to understand basic operational modalities of the project, acquire relevant knowledge and skills in preparation for the commencement and implementation of L-PRES Project.

Consequently, eighteen (18) participants from relevant organizations and departments attended the training at Flora Creek Hotel, Dubai from 30th September – 4th October 2019. The participants were drawn from Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), L-PRES Government Preparation Team (GPT), Project Coordinating Unit (PCU) of FMARD, and Federal Ministry of Finance (FMF).

Project Readiness was critical to implementation, giving clear Scope Management, Schedule Management, Budget Management, Quality Management, Team Management, Stakeholder Management, Information Management, Risk Management and Contract/Procurement Management

The objectives of the training were:
I. To equip participants with the tools to be able to fully undertake costing of projects, organize all the necessary tables, including financing arrangements by components and by categories, as well as procurement arrangements, and other tables as necessary in the preparation and appraisal reports.
II. To learn arrangement of components on cost table in such a way that each table can easily slot in within the project documents, such as preparation or appraisal reports., as well as funding arrangements by different financiers, government, donors, beneficiaries, and in both local and dollar currencies.
III. Understand the structure of a project cost;
IV. Understand pricing, standard information about the project, including contingencies, inflation, project areas, disbursement and procurement and financing arrangements of a project
V. Fully undertake the preparation of detail cost tables.
VI. Able to prepare project cost summaries and financing and procurement plans
VII. Able to slot project cost summaries directly in Preparation and Appraisal Reports.
VIII. Able to apply the knowledge the financial and economic analysis of projects.

The training used hands-on method and group discussions to extensively cover key subject areas such as financial and economic analysis of projects, Modules such as Critical Path analysis, Gantt Chart Application, Logic Framework (LFC) Management Tool, Project Cost Management and Project Risk Management were rigorously treated under Project Management. Other Project Management analysis treated were Project Human Resources Management, Project Communications/Information Management, Project Procurement Management, Result Based Monitoring and Evaluation, etc. On another hand, factors that determine the economic viability of a project, identification of economic cost and project externalities were covered under economic analysis.