Microsoft and Paradigm Initiative Nigeria to hold Microsoft NGO Academy

Microsoft Nigeria and Paradigm Initiative Nigeria will co-host another networking and information-sharing event for non-profit organizations in Abuja on June 15 and 16, 2011.

Nigeria’s non-profit institutions play a major role as they connect citizens with diverse services that they would otherwise have had no access to. Many of these NGOs work in rural areas or with underserved groups and could benefit a lot by employing the use of ICT tools. Building on Microsoft’s work around giving much-needed support to NGOs across the world and the previous edition of the NGO Connection Day in Lagos, hosting a Microsoft NGO Academy in Abuja will help fill a huge gap that will improve organizational efficiency while also helping many non-profits save cost.

The Academy will offer an interactive capacity-building program to further enhance skills in ICT, allow NGO staffs learn more about Microsoft’s opportunities for non-profits, provide technical demonstrations of Microsoft products and give NGOs the opportunity to network with relevant institutions. Participants of an earlier edition that held in Lagos opined that the NGO Connection Day event gave them the opportunity to discuss technology use in their work, learn more about technology tools and establish faster online presence that helped make their information available to a much wider audience.

This edition’s program will end with a closing ceremony where the winner of the Tech4Dev Award will be announced. The new Tech4Dev Award will honour the participating non-profit organization that demonstrates the best use of technology in their development work. This event is primarily for non-profits whose representatives are in Abuja, or are able to join us in Abuja as only lunch and course materials will be taken care of. To sign up, pinnigeria.org (or send your details by eMail to info[at]pinigeria.org)