Communication Lab

One of the greatest challenges facing many NGOs today is that they rarely hire professionals trained in development communication. The focus is often placed on publicity and public relations, rather than on the deeper, more transformative role of communication in development. As a result, communication is reduced to managing social media accounts, issuing press releases, […]

Yesterday, a partner working on a climate change project targeting rural women farmers reached out to me for advice on communication. Before I could offer any thoughts, she explained that their only “communication strategy” was PR — essentially, liaising with newspapers to publish reports about their meetings and activities. In fact, her main reason for

In my 16 years of experience in communication, I’ve observed how many NGOs treat communication as an afterthought — or worse, as a job for just anyone. Most still define communication narrowly: publishing activities on social media, pushing photos to newspapers, and name-dropping donors. Consequently, they routinely hire journalists as communication officers — without embedding

We—those of us who craft messages, shape narratives, manage public perception, and steer development communication—must humbly admit this: We owe the people an apology. We helped power look polished when it should have been questioned. We packaged failure in fine language. We replaced truth with talking points. We celebrated awareness while avoiding accountability. We called

Since fuel subsidies were removed, state governments have received significantly higher allocations from the Federal Government. In theory, this extra revenue should deliver better infrastructure, improved services, and visible development. In reality, many citizens see little to no change. The problem is not only poor delivery — it’s the lack of clear, accountable, and participatory