Building a common approach for anticipatory action training in West and Central Africa

Scaling up

Building a common approach for anticipatory action training in West and Central Africa

From 3 to 5 November 2025, the Anticipation Hub delivered a pilot training-of-trainers workshop in Dakar, Senegal, at the request of the Regional Task Force on Anticipatory Action. This event brought together ten participants from key regional partners including the Danish Refugee Council, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societes, NORCAP, the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Food Programme.

As well as strengthening the facilitation and technical capacities of experts in the region, the training aimed to promote a harmonized and neutral language for anticipatory action training in the region: one that is clear and accessible to all stakeholders, particularly government representatives new to these concepts. Throughout the three days, the participants explored the 'Foundations of anticipatory action' module and the Anticipation Hub’s learning approach, engaging in practical exercises on facilitation best practices, managing challenging situations, integrating gamification, and assuring quality. Each participant also had the opportunity to simulate a session, receive feedback and refine their facilitation style.

The training of trainers was an excellent opportunity to strengthen my skills as a trainer. I learned key concepts to ensure that all participants could be fully included and learn as much as possible from the sessions. I learned a suitable method for sharing knowledge with adults in a participatory and engaging way. Personally, it was crucial for us, as a regional task force, to delve into how we want and see anticipatory action develop and reform the future of humanitarian work in the region. The participatory methodology really enabled the task force participants to become familiar with the content and methodology, and to be able to replicate it. We look forward to implementing the training of trainers for a wider audience and scaling up anticipatory action training in several countries in the region in 2026.

By combining technical content with soft-skills development, the training of trainers strengthened the Regional Task Force’s ability to deliver consistent, inclusive and high-quality training across West and Central Africa, ensuring that anticipatory action can be understood and applied by a wider range of actors.

One of the outcomes from this pilot event is that the Regional Task Force is already planning to deliver further training on the 'Foundations of anticipatory action' module this December, financed by FAO, as part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen national and regional capacities. This demonstrates how the training-of-trainers approach helps partners to put learning into action.

Building on this momentum, the Anticipation Hub will continue expanding the training-of-trainers approach to other regions and countries in 2026, contributing to a global community of skilled facilitators advancing anticipatory action worldwide.

To learn more about the upcoming rollout of these training events, please contact Marcela Ricupero, learning and innovation manager at the Anticipation Hub.