From Learning to Action: ANO Launches Grassroots Governance with Pilot Training

At ANO, we believe in testing our ideas on the ground. Before seeking major funding, we wanted to validate our approach and demonstrate real impact. On August 14, 2025, we took a decisive step by launching a pilot training workshop for our “Grassroots Governance Project” in Atta community, Imo State.

This one-day intensive session brought together 21 dedicated community members—youth leaders, women association representatives, and local activists—marking the official kick-off of our new initiative focused on civic education and advocacy.

A Day of Intensive, Practical Learning

The pilot workshop was designed to be highly interactive and practical, moving beyond theory to equip participants with immediately usable skills. The curriculum covered the foundational pillars of our program:

• Module 1: Know Your Rights, Know Your Government: Participants learned about their fundamental rights under the Nigerian Constitution, the structure of the local government system, and the specific duties of their elected councillors. The session demystified governance and clarified the pathways for citizen engagement.
• Module 2: Your Community, Your Budget: This session focused on practical budget literacy. Facilitators broke down how to access local government budget documents, interpret key budget lines for health and education, and identify the stages where community monitoring can be most effective.
• Module 3: The Art of Peaceful Advocacy: The final module was a skills-based training on effective campaigning. Participants engaged in exercises on drafting formal petitions, utilising the Freedom of Information Act, crafting key messages for media engagement, and organising a community advocacy action plan.

Community Impact and Immediate Feedback

The energy in the room was electric. Participants were not just passive listeners; they were active problem-solvers.

• “For the first time, they understand that the budget is not a secret document. They now have the confidence to ask our councillor the right questions,” said a youth leader.
• “This training has given us a voice. We have already started discussing how to formally request a meeting about the state of our primary health centre,” shared by, a member of the women’s association.

Proving the Concept for a Larger Vision

The lessons learned from this pilot are directly informing the final curriculum for the full-scale “Grassroots Governance Project,” for which we are now seeking strategic partnerships. The 21 newly trained community champions from Atta community are the first wave of a movement we plan to expand across the region.

This is more than a project; it’s a promise to build a more informed, engaged, and powerful civil society from the ground up.