Following the Disaster Risk Management Leadership Workshop for Ministers and Senior Federal Government Officials held on March 9-10, 2024, the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) conducted a Training of Trainers (ToT) on Disaster Risk Management Leadership at Pyramid Hotel in Bishoftu, Ethiopia from March 13-18, 2024. The training was co-organized by the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC) in collaboration with the ADPC and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

H.E. Ato Nesibu Yasin, Deputy Commissioner, EDRMC, delivered the opening remarks at the training

The ToT was attended by 32 senior officials (13 females and 19 males) from 14 sectoral agencies, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopian Meteorology Institute, Ministry of Health, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Ministry of Water and Energy, Ministry of Peace, Ministry of Irrigation and Lowland, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Women and Social Welfare, Ministry of Planning and Development, Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure, Ministry of Labour and Skills, and EDRMC

H.E. Ambassador Dr. Shiferaw Teklemariam, EDRMC Commissioner, presented the new DRM policy to the participants

As a result of the Training Needs Assessment held in November 2023, the ToT was designed to address the identified needs and equip executives, managers, senior planners and program design professionals with appropriate skill sets, toolsets and mindsets that can be used to lead DRM processes and facilitate learning activities in Ethiopia.

It is expected that the activity would initiate a cascade of DRM improvements, including the conduct of the learning activities required to underpin the ongoing development of DRM systems and arrangements. Above all, it was expected that the activity would assist and encourage DRM leaders to “do the right thing” in relation to all their DRM activities.

During the 6-day training period, the participants actively engaged and made valuable contributions to all learning sessions, which covered key topics focused on enhancing personal effectiveness, DRM leadership, and facilitation of learning activities.

On the last day of the training, the participants discussed the knowledge and skills they had acquired from the course and outlined specific actions to deliver future training activities. They aimed to promote DRM within their respective workgroups and ministries, and committed, as DRM leaders, to setting best practice examples by incorporating DRM practices and mainstreaming principles into their regular day-to-day duties.

The participants shared that the training sessions were overall effective, interactive, energetic learning and empowering. The unique training helped create the knowledge, skills, mindset, paradigm shift and awareness in DRM.

At the end of the training, H.E. Ato Nesibu Yasin, Deputy Commissioner of EDRMC, presented the certificates to the training graduates and delivered the closing address.