The aims of the capacity building component are:

Since 1997 more than 600 locust officers and/or plant protection staff, scouts and farmers received training on various technical locust management subjects. The total target group of persons in the Central Region, directly or indirectly involved in locust control operations, is about 550 staff. Taking high staff turn-over into consideration, it is assumed that at least 50 % of all plant protection officers currently in place have received training.

In each of the member countries, at least one national Master Trainer has been trained to conduct and organize national training courses on survey and control topics.

A standard locust training manual has been developed and has been distributed in the form of a training kit to all member countries to facilitate the national Master Trainers and other national training entities to operate standard locust training courses in a more sustainable way. The manual includes session plans based on the updated FAO Desert Locust Guidelines, guidance on training methods, participatory training techniques, and the use of visual aids. It contains reference course programmes, pre- and post-course assessments, useful forms, and lists of necessary course material.

A series of overhead transparencies have been compiled which can be used during training courses. They are also available on CD.

A special Locust Management Diploma Course at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Khartoum has been supported with teaching material, equipment and fellowships in order to build up new generations of Desert Locust managers. Since the beginning of the course in 2001, 24 students from the Central Region and 2 students from countries outside the Central Region successfully passed the one-year Diploma Course.