CCARDESA Participates in an AICCRA Strategic Communications Training

Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) recently concluded a successful media and partner engagement training program in Cape Town, South Africa. Over 35 participants from Ghana, Zambia, Senegal, Kenya, Mali, and Ethiopia, representing various media and partner organizations, including CCARDESA, RUFORUM, and CORAF, attended the training. 

CCARDESA is implementing the AICCRA programme in Zambia to promote climate-smart practices in communities. To ensure that AICCA programme activities are well communicated, Information & Knowledge Management Officer Mrs Bridget Kakuwa-Kasongamulilo attended the training. She shared with participants the knowledge brokerage role CCARDESA plays in the SADC region and her institution's agricultural research and development mandate.

The training aimed to equip participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to engage with the media and partners effectively. The meeting also explored how climate-smart practices could be better promoted and shared by and through the media. The participants were trained on various topics, including media relations, the power of digital tools(Twitter, Facebook), communication strategies, messaging and partnership building.

Participants exchanged ideas and experiences and had practical exercises to enhance their learning during the training. They also had the opportunity to network and establish new partnerships with like-minded individuals and organizations.

AICCRA Global Communications  Knowledge Management Mr Rhys Bucknall-Williams expressed his satisfaction with the level of participation and engagement from the participants. "We are delighted to have hosted this training program and had the opportunity to interact with such a diverse group of participants from across Africa. We believe that the skills and knowledge acquired during this training will enhance participants' capacity to effectively engage with the media and partners in climate-smart practices in their respective countries," he said.

The participants also expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the program. Mr Darlington Mwendabai, a participant from Zambia, commended the organizers for the quality of the training program. "I am very impressed with the quality of the training program. The practical exercises were beneficial, and I believe the skills and knowledge acquired during this training will be useful to my organization and my country," he said.

The meeting ended with partner organizations having direct access to media practitioners from the continent and ready to share climate-smart information in user-friendly formats instead of technical jargon that is not palatable to laymen and women.

The two-day training occurred at the Cresta Grande Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa. AICCRA is committed to building capacity in agriculture and hopes to continue to offer such training programs to support agricultural development in Africa.