The outbreak of COVID-19 is a typical example of how a major incident occasionally happens with its ripples spreading across the nations of the world. While reinforcing the interconnected nature of the world we live in, the pandemic has also reiterated the fact that just as various geographical regions experience the effects of global phenomena differently, different measures are more suited to some regions than others.
The unravelling of COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa suggests that in addition to physical infrastructure, a clear and streamlined communications strategy that builds on the existing unique communication channels in Sub-Saharan Africa is necessary.
Misinformation and conspiracy theories have become a global menace being fought on all fronts. In Africa, their devastating effects are particularly acute. During the Ebola outbreak in 2014, health workers were attacked in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while the first social media case reported in Nigeria led to a deluge of information shared about how to prevent the disease, which led to unfortunate consequences. These experiences should have necessitated vigilance when the outbreak of COVID-19 began to spread around the world.
The evident myths, conspiracies and misinformation associated with the phenomenon of COVID-19 necessitated a clear communications strategy for Africa. At the outset of the outbreak, African governments like their Western counterparts used press conferences and press statements as the main means for disseminating information to their citizens. In Ghana, the President delivered daily press conferences while the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control disseminated information as it became available. South Africa had similar messaging with a dedicated website portal that housed updates and informative videos. Yet, it appears that in both the Western world and in Africa, these modes of communication were not successful in stemming the tide of misinformation. Heavy reliance on them was arguably undermined partly by the speed at which misinformation spreads coupled with the biases of people and the weight they attach to the credibility of messengers. Sadly, harmful myths about the causes and cures of the disease gained traction in Africa.
I argue that in the African context, existing communication channels provide the basis for an effective and tailor-made communication structure crucial for addressing the current pandemic and for building resilience for the future. Information from government sources are usually credible. However, the information needs to be deployed effectively in order to be of use. An effective communication strategy for disseminating information requires noting and harnessing available and successful communication channels including the wide use of mobile phones, the existence and influence of religious leaders, local traditional leaders, celebrities and radio stations.
Mobile phones have become part of the fabric of African countries as demonstrated by their increased use and associated breakthroughs such as mobile money. Their wide use provides a chance for governments to partner with telecommunication networks to pass on relevant information. Admittedly, mobile phone usage is still limited to people who have the wherewithal to own one, keep it charged and load it with credit. In addition, the ability of mobile telecommunications to facilitate the spread of misinformation make them a mixed blessing. In light of this, a communication strategy that adopts the use of mobile phones would be better if taken together with other measures that make credible information clearly identifiable.
In Africa where religion still plays a dominant role in the lives of citizens, the words of pastors, imams and other religious leaders gain traction and are given weight. The claim made by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of the Believers Love World aka Christ Embassy that 5G network was the real cause of sickness and death around the world and not Coronavirus highlights this point. Moreover, many of these figureheads usually have quite sophisticated communication channels through which they reach their flock. In Ghana, it was encouraging to see some religious leaders advise their members to stay home and pass on relevant information from the Government.
Similarly, traditional leaders such as chiefs hold sway over their local populace and their influence provides a helpful means for reaching people in rural areas who would normally be hard to reach. Other networks such as associations of market women act as information hubs that could be more effectively deployed.
Celebrities have large followers and can pass on information in creative ways. Yet this option has not been fully utilised. In Ghana Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister for Information, in response to comments by an artist clarified that although the Government had considered seeking celebrities as ambassadors, no payment was to be offered. Nonetheless, some celebrities volunteered and did not think it necessary to wait for the Government. As celebrities continued to entertain and reach out to their fans through social media platforms, it became evident that Government attempts at communication which did not utilise this trend were a missed opportunity. The Ghana Police Service were laudable in passing on messages by using celebrities through the Operation COVID Safety Ambassador Challenge. However, to maximise this impact, African Governments would need to engage in such collaborations on a large scale.
Finally, radio stations are a popular source of information for many. An effective communication strategy would require them to do more than provide information about the occurrence of the outbreak. This would involve taking responsibility for invited guests and using their platforms for active myth-busting.
Many African governments have made commendable efforts in tackling COVID-19 through communications. However, it does not appear that a single communication strategy that views and encompasses these networks as a tool for tackling this pandemic has been devised. A proactive approach that scopes, maps and selects stakeholders that could be used as communication channels and furnishes them with relevant information to aggressively disseminate facts and fight misinformation through various local languages would be laudable. These should be in addition to the use of press conferences, television and radio announcements among others.
Life in the African context means that African governments face more limitations compared to counterparts in other regions in effectively communicating to their citizens. Yet, they also have peculiar communication channels that could be effectively deployed to fit the African context. Africa needs to take an approach to communications that mitigates its limitations and builds on its strengths. This would assist in successfully tackling the current crisis and meeting future communication needs.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Future Africa Forum. Future Africa Forum is a pan-African policy think-tank and policy advisory consultancy headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.
