The Communications Strategy for Sierra Leone’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) will be assessed by key national stakeholders during a one-day validation workshop in Freetown on December 19. Hosted by Sierra Leone’s Environment Protection Agency (EPA), this event will bring together representatives from various government ministries, departments and agencies, the private sector, media outlets, NGOs, as well as religious leaders.
Input from stakeholders will be gathered in order to enhance the Communication Strategy, which aims to provide short- and mid-term guidance on how the government can use communications strategically and effectively to support the NAP process. The development of Sierra Leone’s NAP will be completed in 2020.
The NAP Global Network, through its U.S. In-country Support Program for Sierra Leone, has assisted the government in developing the NAP Communication Strategy. The document draws from wide-ranging consultations with key stakeholders all over the country, including a workshop that took place in Freetown on September 5.
Acting as a comprehensive and realistic guide, the Communication Strategy intends to be a roadmap to effectively engage different stakeholders in enhancing a better understanding of the NAP process. In addition, it seeks to clarify the role that strategic communications play in supporting the NAP and identify a variety of communication tactics that will be used by the Government of Sierra Leone to successfully achieve its adaptation goals.
More specifically, the strategy seeks to further emphasize the following aspects:
- The information that needs to be disseminated and its timing
- The key audiences that the Government of Sierra Leone is trying to reach
- The relevant changes in knowledge, opinions or behaviour that are required for progress
- The most effective messages and channels of communication to be used
- The sharing of communications-related responsibilities by different government actors in order to foster better internal coordination.
Other strategic goals include persuading the general public and the private sector of the need for significant and timely investment in climate change adaptation, and encouraging Sierra Leoneans to collectively embark on activities to strengthen the country’s resilience to climate change.
Technical assistance for the Sierra Leonean government to develop the NAP Communication Strategy and to organize the workshop was delivered via the NAP Global Network’s U.S. In-country Support Program for Sierra Leone.