By Enene Ejembi 

People in positions of power need to improve how they communicate, and be more open, collaborative with their communities. Transparent and inclusive communication between the government and the public is essential for building trust, promoting accountability, and fostering a thriving democracy. Thus, strategic communication is a fundamental aspect of effective governance and leadership.

When citizens have access to accurate and timely information, it helps build public trust. It’s not just about disseminating information; it’s about empowering citizens and enabling active participation in the democratic process. It provides material evidence for holding government officials accountable for their actions and rewarding leaders with support when they deliver on the social compact with citizens.

During my time as Associate Director of Strategic Communications and Knowledge Management at DAI, I played a pivotal role in facilitating improved communication between DAI as an organization and its audiences as well as between state governments and their constituents. One example of this influence can be seen in my work with the Kaduna state government, where I documented their governance reforms in a documentary and compendium. By capturing governance processes, lessons, and results I helped facilitate the replication of reform and sharing of valuable lessons – enhancing accountability, and transparency. As a Board Member for Accountability Lab Nigeria, I work to support the AL Nigeria team to document and share valuable information about governance reform, broadening citizens’ capacity to engage with governance processes.

Through strategic communication initiatives, I have successfully enhanced transparency and accountability, empowering citizens with accurate and timely information, thus facilitating their active engagement in the democratic process. Strategic communication plays a critical role in promoting government accountability, transparency, and citizen participation. It can be used to ensure government policies, decisions, and actions are properly understood by the public. 

It’s important to consider what strategic communication is and what it isn’t. It’s not just a simple bulletin, but a planned and deliberate act of leveraging diverse channels, engaging with audiences, and participating in information exchanges to achieve specific goals. It’s about purposeful communication by individuals, organizations, governments, and groups. It is about prioritizing citizen feedback and engagement in the communication process. 

When citizens have more information about issues, they can participate in decision-making processes. Decisions made through inclusive processes often reflect consideration of the needs of the community, which in turn builds community ownership of government decisions. In their book, Full Disclosure: The Perils and Promise of Transparency, Archon Fung, David Weil, and Mary Graham say it best: “Transparency alone is not sufficient to promote accountability; citizens must also be able to act on the information they receive. “

My association with AL Nigeria began in 2017, when I established the consulting firm Verbatim Virtual Solutions and forged strategic partnerships with key decision-makers in government. An invitation from the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) to deliver a paper at the Leadership and Performance Management Innovation Conference in 2017 led me to connect with the National Coordinator of SERVICOM, Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli.

SERVICOM (Service Compact with All Nigerians) is an agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria that promotes efficient public service delivery to citizens and manages the performance of public servants. Recognizing the alignment between SERVICOM’s mandate and AL’s work through Integrity Icon, I facilitated a strategic partnership between AL Nigeria Director Odeh Friday and SERVICOM. This collaboration later culminated in my joining the Lab’s board in May 2018 and a collaborative partnership between the Lab and SERVICOM. 

The Lab’s mission is inextricably tied to increasing the ability of citizens to hold the government accountable and increase transparency. Strategic communication plays a critical role in this, as it sets out the tools and approaches to provide citizens with accurate and timely information about government activities and decisions.

Civic Actions Teams (CivActs) is one of AL’s many programs that create the ecosystem needed for a strong strategic communication regime. CivActs is a program that facilitates a feedback loop between citizens, governments, the media and the private sector. Our Community Frontline Associates gather information on critical problems affecting their communities through monthly community surveys and other engagements, and then coordinate with local and national leaders. 

CivActs subsequently disseminates validated information to communities through various channels such as local radio shows, community meetings, infographics, music, films, and bulletins in local languages. This approach fosters discussions on critical local matters and collaborates with partners to address challenges. CivActs effectively generates citizen feedback and engagement, crucial for the development process. This process empowers governments to take actionable steps based on the provided information. 

In certain instances, citizens must demand action before the Government implements community feedback. The Lab’s knowledge-building campaigns train changemakers who can advocate for change. 

The  Accountability Incubator incubates innovative projects focused on accountability, participation, and open government. Additionally, the  Integrity Fellowship equips government officials with the knowledge and training needed to drive and implement reforms.

Finally, we highlight examples of good governance through our Integrity Icon program. 

Furthermore, the Integrity Icon program highlights instances of good governance. Lack of integrity – which leads to corruption, inequality, and insecurity – is a global challenge. Ordinary citizens often feel helpless in the face of graft and mismanagement, when integrity goes unrewarded, society tacitly creates an incentive for it to continue.  Through Integrity Icon, AL celebrates champions of integrity, which builds the incentive for integrity and dutiful public  service.  Integrity Icon is a global campaign to identify and celebrate honest government officials, and foster a network through which they can collaborate and support each other. Those who serve with integrity are celebrated as examples of the dedication we want to see in public service. Through strategic communication approaches – such as global  visibility and profile building –  the efforts of these exemplary civil servants and government reformers are amplified, inspiring a new generation of responsible leaders. The Lab supports Integrity Icons to form coalitions for further reform and value-based collaboration.

At AL, we foster an ecosystem that helps governance work better, and inclusive strategic communication for communities is prioritized. By helping leaders be more responsive and accountable, the Lab ensures that communication with the public is not only effective but also fosters trust and credibility.  This is why I am proud to be part of AL. We contribute to building the values and principles that underpin development: good governance, transparency – with integrity at its core.

Strategic communication plays an essential role in promoting government accountability, transparency, and citizen participation. Through a variety of approaches, including the use of smart and inclusive strategic communication, the Lab empowers citizens and holds elected officials accountable. By improving communication and fostering citizen engagement, the Lab contributes to a more accountable and transparent governance system. AL’s dedication to strategic communication reinforces its position as a leading advocate for transparent governance and serves as an inspiration for work in this field.

Enene Ejembi