The Institute of Development Communication (ISDEVCOM) of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi will organise a two-day international conference aimed at charting ways for the attainment of the nation’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The event, themed, ‘Strategic security and health communication for sustainable development’, will hold from October 28 to 29, 2021, within the university campus.
The conference is being held against the backdrop of the need for sustainable development, especially in developing countries like Nigeria and in Africa, which has become both imperative and urgent, given the poor milestones so far recorded in the march towards attaining the SDGs by 2030.
While the fundamental role of communication in propelling the drive towards sustainable national development is, without doubt, grossly under-explored in Africa, development communication is, however, vital in providing a guide for people to have a full understanding of their own needs, their current situation, and their options for change.
The executive director of the institute and convener of the conference, Prof. Emmanuel Dandaura, said the event will dwell on reflections on ways in which development communication can be strategically employed in various spheres of national life to catalyse sustainable national development by engaging stakeholders and policy-makers while promoting information exchange to create positive social change.
“Special focus will be given to the participation of government agencies and non-governmental organisations involved in youth mental health, drug abuse and control, maternal and child health, education, family planning, anti-malaria as well as advocacy and intervention for HIV and AIDS, COVID-19,” Dandaura said.
Diverse resources from academia, professionals and practitioners of development communication, policymakers, non-governmental and other civil society organisations, key government institutions and the media, will be deployed to share knowledge on a wide range of sub-themes, he further assured.
Expected at the event are the chairman/chief executive officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Rtd. Gen. Buba Marwa; World Bank Nigeria country director, Shubham Chaudhuri and the founding executive director, African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) Otive Igbuzor, who is also the chief of staff to the deputy senate president, the chairman of the conference’s organising committee, Uzoma Onyegbadue, said.
