From Gyang Bere, Jos
Equal Access International (EAI) has engaged stakeholders in Plateau and Benue States on advocacy and strategic communication to enable them resolve social challenges.
The stakeholders, who are made up of traditional rulers, community leaders, women and youths among others converged in Jos on Wednesday for a three-day workshop on the theme, “Advocacy and Media engagement workshop”, held at Chrispan hotel, Jos, the Plateau State capital.
Senior Finance and Operation Officer, Equal Access International, Okee Friday, said the workshop was aimed at impacting the required advocacy techniques to enable them to tackle issues ranging from insecurity, rape and gender-based violence.
“In this workshop, ‘Advocacy and Media Engagement’, we brought people from different communities in Plateau and Benue States where there have been violent conflicts and other issues to teach them the basic techniques of strategic communication to resolve problems in the communities,” he stated.
“These communities are faced with different problems and the techniques they adopt in addressing these issues with the relevant authorities is very important to how the problem will be resolved, therefore we want them to know how to approach issues and proffer solutions.”
Country Director, Equal Access International, Maji Peters, who spoke on “Understanding Strategic Communication” said that will help the participants to conceptualize deliberate communication skills aimed at resolving specific problems.
“Strategic communications is targeted at a specific audience with the intention of getting the buy-in of some individuals towards addressing issues such as gender-based violence, farmer-herder conflicts among several other issues confronting the society,” he said.
Peters explained further that strategic communications influence people to take positive decisions towards addressing a problem, adding that there are narratives and counter-narrative in strategic communication.
He urged the participants to be more strategic in their engagement with constituted authorities particularly when efforts are being made to resolve violent conflicts in society.