Lagos City to Welcome Development Actors at the 13th Annual Conference of the Nigeria Network of NGOs.

Lagos, Nigeria, November 18, 2013/ — The 13th Annual Conference of the Nigeria Network of NGOs will take place on the 27th November in Lagos, designed to help civil society organizations in Nigeria identify alternative opportunities for funding their activities.

Felix Obanubi, State Team Leader for the State Accountability and Voice Initiative (SAVI) of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) will be joined by Amy Oyekunle, Executive Director, KIND, Elizabeth Olofin, Executive Director, FATE Foundation and Mosun Layode, Executive Secretary WINBIZ among others to discuss and debate the future of the development sector, share ideas on funding alternatives and future of funding for the sector.

With the economic crisis and the struggle amongst civil society organization’s to keep up with development demands, can alternative sources of funding fill the gap in substituting for traditional donor funding? We have seen a reflection of how non traditional funding sources can drive sustainability and growth for the 3rd sector, following through on this will be a workshop led by Yemisi Joel-Osebor, Lagos State Manager Growth & Employment in States (GEMS3) to train participants on the topic “fundraising and social media: stimulating the growth of our sector”.

More than 120 experts including senior executives from donor, private, non-governmental and government organizations will convene to discuss the theme “Evolving with our Sector: Finding Alternatives to Funding our Work”. Speaking on the 2011 money laundering act and its implications for the non-profit sector is Mr. Bala Sanga, Director, Special Control Unit on Money Laundering (SCUML) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

At the conference, delegates will focus on how best to address issues hampering funding for the 3rd sector and jointly identify practical solutions that will facilitate a more coordinated funding approach to the work non-governmental organization’s in Nigeria are doing.

“We aspire to grow our sector from strength to strength and as the voice for the common man. The NNNGO Annual Conference as always will encourage networking and collaboration among all stakeholders in order to improve our work as a sector,” says Oyebisi Babatunde Oluseyi, Executive Director, NNNGO.

Last year, attendees of the Annual Conference came from the six geopolitical zones of the country, delivering the key note address was Ambassador Joe Keshi Former Permanent Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs; other speakers include Former CEO Oxfordshire Equality and Human Rights Council Patrick Tolani, Former Pan African Relationships Manager Plan International Dr Abiola Tilley-Gyado, Henrietta Onwuegbuzie Pan African University and President African Citizens Development Foundation Otunba Dele Ajayi-Smith.