Re-imagining Development Communication in Africa

Dr. Chuka Onwumechili is professor of Communications serving as Interim Dean for the School of Communications at Howard University in Washington, DC. He is an accomplished scholar with several books and peer-reviewed journal articles. His work has involved development communication particularly in the area of telecommunications. Among his several published works are issues dealing with universal access and building critical mass. He once served as Vice President for the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) in Nigeria where his charge included developing labor for the growing telecommunications industry in the country.Dr. Ikechukwu Ndolo is an experienced scholar in the area of development communication and has consulted with both the British Department for International Development (DFID) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Nigeria. In 2009, he worked with DFID in helping to strengthen the Nigerian Bureau for Public Reform’s capacity to disseminate public sector reform messages. Dr. Ndolo who currently heads the Department of Mass Communication at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka, Nigeria is widely published. Additionally, he has also developed audio productions mostly in the area of development. Among these are his audio productions sponsored by UNICEF in the areas of immunization, breastfeeding mothers, and compliance with prescription of health workers, among others.

• Part 1: Reviewing Past Frameworks and Today’s DiscourseChapter 1: Transcultural Social Change and Development: A Critical Review of Paradigm ShiftsDaniel AwodiyaChapter 2: Africa, Development and Communication: The Day AfterChuka Onwumechili and Ikechukwu NdoloChapter 3: Speaking of African Women’s Agency, Activism and Complementary Gender Roles: A Look at African FeminismAnnie DuruChapter 4: Going Back to Basics: Shifting Research Focus to Indigenous Knowledge Systems and their Role in DevelopmentMatt MogekwuPart 2: Theorizing & Expanding the RealmChapter 5: Another View: Theorizing Development MediaChuka Onwumechili and Ritchard M’BayoChapter 6: The Theory of Communicative Action for Population-Communication Management in Sub-Saharan Africa: Argumentative Speech in NigeriaCornelius Pratt and Thomas JacobsonChapter 7: Development Media: Challenges and AttemptsGenet LakewChapter 8: Issues and Perspectives on Community Engagement For Behavior and Social ChangeIkechukwu Ndolo and Hilary OzohPart 3: Country CasesChapter 9: Health Communication and Nigeria: Sickle Cell Anaemia in NollywoodTokunbo Ojo and Jan ServaesChapter 10: Moving the Signpost in Cameroon? Resolving Inter-Village Rivalry through a Form of CommunicationKehbuma LangmiaChapter 11: Communicating Peace: Women Transcend Cultural Cultural Boundaries in Post-Genocide RwandaEddah Mutua and Ayantu TibesoChapter 12: Coding for Development in the Silicon Savannah: The Emerging Role of Digital Technology in KenyaGeorge Gathigi and Ernest WaitituChapter 13: Sustainable Development and Rural Access to Telecommunications in NigeriaChukwudiebube Bede Opata

The book is an interesting and important addition to the growing body of work on development communication in Africa. Its uniqueness is in the wide range of topics that touch on the historical evolution, extant theories, and case studies of communication in the service of development. Students and practitioners will find this a useful resource for advancing research and practice.