Communication is essential to rural development, all the more so with the importance now attached to grassroots participation and sustainable development.
With this in mind, rural radio is the most inexpensive, popular and socio-culturally appropriate means of communication in Africa. It is also the most accessible to the population.
FAO has been engaged in developing rural radio in Africa for more than 20 years and has drawn up a methodology based on:
- the involvement of the different sectors of rural development in the definition and implementation of programmes;
- the establishment of interdisciplinary production teams;
- mobility of production units for broadcasting from the field;
- the identification of juridical and regulatory solutions that will enable rural radio networks to operate independently after withdrawal of external assistance.
This methodology has resulted from field experience in setting up or revitalizing rural radio broadcasting in Africa through projects involving FAO, bilateral and multilateral cooperation agencies and the Union of National Radio and Television Organizations of Africa (URTNA), through the Inter-African Rural Radio Studies Centre (CIERRO).
A training of trainers programme was conducted with the UNICEF West and Central Africa Regional Office and CIERRO for 13 trainers from eight countries of West and Central Africa.
However, despite the results of this programme, there are still a number of problems that remain to be resolved if the long-term development of this key component of rural development is to be ensured.
Firstly, the technical production and broadcasting infrastructure needs to be urgently overhauled or replaced as it is for the most part obsolete in the majority of existing radio stations, while new ones need to be provided with reliable and long-lasting equipment.
Secondly, the juridical, regulatory and institutional aspects need to be examined, particularly as regards rural radio charters, role and terms of reference and the setting up of networks.
Finally, there is the need for training in the use and maintenance of local and community radio equipment, in the study of rural audiences and the assessment of programme impact, in the management of radio stations and marketing, and in the setting up of documentation systems and the running of sound effects libraries.
Many of Africa's development partners are showing an increasing interest in and willingness to support rural radio: the World Bank, the European Union, UNDP, UNFPA, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNIDO, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT), the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC), the French-Speaking Radio and Television International Council (CIRTEF), as well as bilateral partners such as the cooperation agencies of the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, Italy and the USA.
This interest is favourable to the definition and implementation of a global plan of action for the development of rural radio in Africa, in which the contributions of individual partners could be coordinated and dovetailed for greater effect and continuity.
It was against this backdrop that several states requested FAO assistance in organizing, in close collaboration with URTNA and the Host Government of Burkina Faso, a review workshop for all the partners concerned and representatives of rural radio broadcasting from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Congo, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Project Agreement signed by the governments of the countries concerned and FAO for a period of two years, set the Organization's contribution at $US 165 000, which covered the services of two international consultants (three missions of 3.5 months) and 17 national consultants (17 missions of one month), two backstopping missions from FAO Headquarters, a training services contract, general operating costs and expenditures for an international workshop on rural radio development in Africa.
The Ministry of Communication/Information was designated to oversee project execution in each country.
The aim of the assistance was to organize a review workshop involving institutional partners and donors engaged or interested in the development of rural radio in Africa so as define a global plan of action for the sector and identify possible funding and the means of implementation needed.
A national consultant was commissioned to look into the various aspects of rural radio development in each of the countries concerned: background, legal status, budget, organization, personnel, infrastructure and equipment, programmes, audience, needs, development projects and so forth.
A summary report of the studies was drafted, in English for English-speaking countries and French for French-speaking countries, with reciprocal translation.
An international consultant conducted an evaluation mission in nine French-speaking African countries in which FAO was involved in rural radio development (Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Congo, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger). A summary report was written and translated into English.
On the basis of these reports, FAO prepared an issues document outlining the present state and future prospects of rural radio broadcasting in Africa. This was translated into English.
All these documents were distributed to the workshop participants.
The workshop was held between 10 and 14 June 1996 in the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. It was attended by delegates of rural radio networks in 21 French-, English- or Portuguese-speaking African countries, representatives of some 20 bilateral and multilateral cooperation partners and of numerous non-governmental organizations and the heads of community or group radio stations.
The workshop got under way with a discussion panel on the development of rural radio in Africa. Summary statements on the status of radio broadcasting in each country helped piece together a comprehensive picture of rural radio broadcasting in Africa, with its potentialities and the obstacles to its development.
The main bilateral and multilateral partners of African rural radio broadcasting outlined the general directions of their programmes of action and signalled their interest in continuing to support African rural radio, maintaining their diversity of intervention and approach but subscribing to the framework of an agreed platform and plan of action for the development of rural radio in Africa.
The ensuing debate spotlighted the central theme of the workshop, which was that African rural radio networks are now at a crossroads and need to devise innovatory solutions if they are to survive and develop:
- from the point of view of government acknowledgement of their important role and mission and their inclusion in fully fledged national policies of communication for development;
- from the point of view of identity and juridical status, which should distance them from close state supervision but maintain their public service role. They need to strike a balance between their social mission and a necessary involvement in the communication market, generating income that is to be managed independently;
- from the point of view of their mission, which should take them closer to their audiences, fostering a network of community and group-specific stations that will effectively cover the needs of the whole rural sector. The concept of partnership was seen as crucial to the development of rural radio;
- from the point of view of their technical resources, which need to be autonomous, appropriate to their role, renewed and better maintained;
- from the point of view of their human resources that need continued, intensified and diversified training;
- from the point of view of their research agenda which needs to be developed to prepare for future assignments, enhance understanding of their audiences, define the most appropriate charter and juridical status and develop suitable programmes and equipment.
The workshop then divided into four working groups to look closely at aspects that had arisen during proceedings:
- Group 1: Infrastructure, equipment and technology selection.
- Group 2: The role of rural radio - juridical, institutional and regulatory aspects.
- Group 3: New guidelines for research and training.
- Group 4: Cooperation and consultation with international partners.
FAO presented a methodology framework and a draft plan of action to facilitate and coordinate the work of the groups. The proposed methodology was to translate group findings into a tangible description of the context and bases of action, commitments, objectives and activities. A draft general declaration defining the framework and main thrust of this plan of action was also put forward.
After the working group discussions, the declaration and plan of action were amended and adopted. FAO, the Government of Burkina Faso and URTNA were charged with following up the implementation of the plan of action.
The project achieved its assigned objectives and implemented all the components of its plan of work. It helped form a detailed picture of African rural radio broadcasting by means of a series of studies, synopses and evaluations conducted by national and international consultants and it identified the main problems still to be resolved.
The international workshop held in Ouagadougou from 10 to 14 June 1996 provided a unique opportunity for all the parties involved in the development of rural radio in Africa to meet.
The participation of 21 French-, English- and Portuguese-speaking African countries at the level of head of national radio or rural radio broadcasting testified to the interest of these countries in reinforcing a sector that is so important for rural development.
The debate was rendered all the more productive, pertinent and varied by the presence of representatives from the main United Nations organizations (UNESCO, UNICEF, UNIDO, ITU, UNDP, UNFPA), representatives of the bilateral and multilateral cooperation agencies and partners of African rural radio networks, such as ACCT, CIRTEF, CTA, IDRC, GTZ, Deutsche Welle, DANICOM, French Cooperation, Swiss Cooperation, Panos Institute, GRET, CECI, INADES and, finally, representatives of many other public, private or specific organizations involved in this field.
The contribution of the Government of Burkina Faso - its welcome to all the participants and the facilities that it made available for the smooth conduct of the workshop - was a decisive factor in the success of the meeting. Similarly, URTNA and CIERRO provided invaluable help in organizing, running and leading the workshop.
The workshop highlighted the need for dynamic, lively, democratic and interactive radio networks for the African rural world.
The variety of initiatives taken in this field and the interest shown by the workshop participants in this form of communication indicate that this sector is still vigorous and thriving, even if its development has been somewhat unfocused in terms of resources and effort.
The current expansion of rural radio broadcasting in Africa must be backed by firm support from the governments and their partners, who need to take innovatory decisions and define new policies regarding juridical and institutional status, infrastructure and technical facilities, and research and training. This will ensure that rural radio broadcasting can develop in a sustainable manner.
The Ouagadougou workshop was an important landmark in this process, for it helped define a common platform of action based on an in-depth analysis of the state of rural radio in Africa and dialogue among all the parties involved.
FAO, URTNA and the Government of Burkina Faso were asked to follow up the workshop, identify funding possibilities and implement the objectives and activities set out in the plan of action. They will therefore be responsible for:
- publishing the report of the Ouagadougou workshop;
- submitting the plan of action to the UN Special Initiative for Africa;
- establishing an appropriate mechanism for consultation among the various partners concerned;
- formulating, in coordination with the countries and institutions concerned, a series of draft projects for funding;
- organizing a donor round table to examine specific proposals for action.
