GITEGA March 28th (ABP) – The Minister of Communication and Media, Mr. Frédéric Nahimana, chaired, at the Accolade Hotel in Gitega (central Burundi) from March 25 to 26, 2019, the workshop that resulted in the validation of the national communication strategy document for development in support of the national development plan (2018-2027).
In an interview with the press, Minister Nahimana said that this strategy will, through appropriate, improved, consistent and coordinated communication, support the National Development Plan (NDP) and the sustainable development goals, to promote people’s behavior change for sustainable development in key sectors of the country. He cited, among others, agriculture, health, energy, technologies, know-how, natural resources, competitiveness, human capital, industrialization, infrastructure, tourism, public-private partnership, regional integration and cooperation. Moreover, he added, this strategy “will make it possible to mobilize and guide the actions and energies of various partners in communication for development”.
As for the consultant who produced that document, he said that communication for development, which is now based on community communication, has been added to other forms of communication. He said that it is a communication based on traditional media and light media (posters, theaters, songs, and so on), as well as community media (rural or community radios) to solve development issues for and by the community.
Convinced of the dominance of the media for the success of that project, the participants in the workshop asked the latter to appropriate the content of the document, and to help the public administration reveal the NDP to the people by their proximity to them.
Closing the workshop, Minister Nahimana thanked the consultant for the quality of his work and the participants in the workshop, including communication advisers in the Presidency of the Republic of Burundi, spokespersons of State institutions, those responsible for government media outlets, executives of the same Ministry and representatives of NGOs, as well as those of certain UN agencies, for their contribution to the enrichment of the document mentioned above.
Minister Nahimana also went to Giheta commune where he visited the radio “Ijwi ry’Umukenyezi” to inquire about its activities in this month dedicated to women. He commended the participatory approach used by that radio in the realization of its broadcasts, arguing that this approach fits well with the philosophy of the national communication strategy for development.
Reacting to the grievances expressed by the Director of the radio, the Minister of Communication and Media promised staff capacity building and advocacy for tax relief to the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ARCT).
