The African Union Commission (AUC) recently organised a meeting of communications experts from across the African Union entities and partners to discuss strategic communications for the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)
The objective of the gathering was to enhance the awareness and understanding of CAADP's goals and initiatives by refining communication workplans and methods. One of the highlights of the discussion was the pressing need to improve communication strategies and enhance collaborative efforts to drive agricultural development across the continent.
Marking the first CAADP communications experts meeting, the event emphasised the importance of bridging communication gaps and forming a formal working group to address these issues. Besidesemphasising the need to develop targeted content and products tailored for various stakeholders, especially small-scale farmers, participants also highlighted the importance of capturing best practices and sharing them across the continent.
The meeting underscored the significance of youth, women, farmers associations, and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and other non-state actors as important voices in agriculture who should be integral to these processes especially at the grassroots level. One of the central focal points addressed was the imperative to establish an all-encompassing communication strategy spanning all phases of the CAADP process. The team from the AUC emphasised the significance of involving both conventional and digital media to disseminate comprehensive information regarding CAADP's initiatives and achievements.
While participants proposed a variety of tools such as engaging infographics and dynamic social media campaigns to proficiently convey the core essence of CAADP's mission, experts recommended revamping and sustaining a journalist and media network dedicated to covering agricultural developments and CAADP-related news. In addition, the meeting also addressed the importance of creating a coordinated framework for communication efforts across different levels, from continental to regional and national, thus enabling CAADP to strategically engage with governments, policymakers, and other stakeholders to ensure that the programme's recommendations were incorporated into national agricultural policies and budgets.
The participants also discussed the need to integrate communication activities within the broader CAADP process, including the BR cycles, while the experts emphasised the importance of sustained efforts to promote effective communication, collaboration, and advocacy for CAADP's objectives. With a renewed commitment for sustained effective communication efforts, continuous engagement, collaboration, and advocacy, CAADP aims to create a brighter future for African agriculture and rural communities.
For an informative CAADP toolkit, visit: https://au.int/en/caadp/toolkit
