A National Conversation: Governance in Three African Countries

This 2-page research summary shares insights from an assessment of BBC Media Action's A National Conversation governance project in Angola, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania. Funded by the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFiD) Governance Transparency Fund, A National Conversation is designed to increase government transparency, accountability, and public participation through broadcast media. According to the research summary, the project is in its fourth year, and a body of evidence is emerging that demonstrates that the programme is achieving these objectives and that the produced shows are valuable tools for engaging audiences, disseminating information on local governance issues, and fostering dialogue between government officials and the communities they serve.

In Angola and Sierra Leone, BBC Media Action has been producing and broadcasting radio output since 2010. In Angola, BBC Media Action works with Radio Ecclesia to produce the magazine programme 100 Duvidas (100 Doubts) and the drama Estrada Da Vida (Streets Of Life). In Sierra Leone, they produce the national talk show Fo Rod (Crossroads) and use Fo Rod as a training vehicle to help local partner stations produce their own governance programming. In August 2012, BBC Media Action started broadcasting the national debate programme Tok Bot Salone (Talk About Sierra Leone). In Tanzania, BBC Media Action started working with the BBC Swahili service in early 2012 to produce the national discussion programme Haba Na Haba (Little By Little).

According to the report, over 1 million people have been reached through the project's programming in Angola and Sierra, and both media practitioners and audiences agree that the programmes are offering something new in their format and content and that this is attracting audiences. In total, 66% of regular listeners to project programming in Angola and Sierra Leone said it helps resolve the issues it reports, and 63% of regular listeners said it is playing a key role in holding government to account. Regular listeners trusted the information the programmes provide, and many participants spoke of how the programmes had either provided them with new information or solved a problem they were facing.

While Haba Na Haba is a newer programme, practitioners are hopeful it will break the tradition of one-sided dialogue between government and citizens. Audiences reported seeing this change and said the programmes provide a forum to have their views heard by leaders and help hold leaders to account.

The report concludes that in providing an opportunity for interaction between citizens and their leaders, BBC Media Action’s programmes in Angola, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania are improving perceptions of accountability and transparency. They are also helping citizens to solve some of the problems they face - either through direct intervention or by providing information citizens can use in their daily lives. Programming should continue to focus on this interaction, providing opportunities for citizens to speak to their government representatives and express their views on matters of importance to them.