Afrobarometer (www.Afrobarometer.org) has concluded a series of workshops aimed at strengthening the abilities of its national partners' communications officers to effectively communicate the network's survey findings through structured and impactful communication campaigns.

Communications officers from English-speaking partners met in Adukrom, in the Eastern Region of Ghana, from 4 to 7 November, while their colleagues from French-speaking partners took part in a workshop in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, from 3 to 5 December. The main objectives of these workshops were to take stock of the past year's communications activities, align national partners with the network’s strategy for 2025, and strengthen participants' communications, dissemination, and media engagement skills.    

This second edition of the Afrobarometer training programme for national partners’ communications officers featured a practical media training module in which participants honed their interview techniques and improved their skills to secure better media coverage of Afrobarometer activities. The sessions also covered key topics such as digital tools, internal and external communications, and effective writing techniques.

Angella Nakasujja, communications officer for Hatchile Consult Ltd., Afrobarometer's national partner in Uganda, highlighted the benefits of the training.

“My participation in this communications training has been an invaluable experience; I’ve learned effective techniques for managing media interviews and preparing good content for social media, which will greatly enhance my ability to amplify Afrobarometer's data on a global scale,” she said.

The training sessions emphasised several key components of the communications strategy, which aligns with Afrobarometer's strategic plan. These include enhancing the effectiveness of dissemination and communications efforts to reach target audiences, promote research findings, and make analyses accessible to a wider public. The goal is to strengthen Afrobarometer's position as the go-to reference for African public attitude research. Additionally, the training aimed to amplify the impact of Afrobarometer data by stimulating demand among policy makers, researchers, and civil society actors while contributing to discussions on governance, democracy, and development across the continent.