By Abasi Ita
A communication and social work expert from Rivers State University, Professor Mina Ogbanga, has called for the adoption of participatory approaches to transform climate awareness into concrete grassroots action across African communities.
Ogbanga made the call in a paper titled “From Awareness to Action: Scaling Grassroots Climate Resilience through Participatory Communication in Africa,” presented at the maiden International Communication Association Nigerian Regional Chapter conference hosted by Nile University, Abuja, from March 24 to 25. The conference had the theme “Global Communication Shifts and Implications for Africa.”
Ogbanga, who heads the Department of Social Work at Rivers State University and has over a quarter of a century of experience in climate justice, noted that although climate change awareness campaigns are widespread across the continent, they have largely failed to translate into sustained local action.
“Africa faces accelerating climate impacts such as droughts, floods, shifting rainfall patterns and declining agricultural productivity, yet awareness alone is not enough to drive change,” she said.
She explained that bridging the gap between awareness and action requires communication strategies that actively involve communities in decision making and solution development.
“Participatory communication creates room for dialogue, co creation and local ownership, which are critical for sustainable climate action,” she added.
The study examined communication approaches used by non governmental organisations and social workers in Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. It found that participatory methods such as storytelling, community theatre, local language radio programmes and youth driven digital campaigns significantly improved community engagement and the adoption of climate adaptation practices.
Highlighting findings from Kenya, Ogbanga said about 78 percent of participants adopted at least one adaptive practice, including rainwater harvesting and crop diversification, while yields increased by an estimated 30 percent.
In Ghana, she noted that community theatre and local radio dramas increased awareness of coastal climate risks and stimulated community led mangrove restoration efforts that also support livelihoods.
Speaking on youth engagement in South Africa, she said 65 percent of participants reported increased leadership capacity and, within three months, many had organised local clean up and conservation activities.
The research identified key success factors, including the use of trusted local influencers, culturally relevant communication channels, community involvement in message creation and linking climate action to economic benefits.
“Top down messaging often fails, but when communities are involved in shaping the message, they are more likely to act on it,” she said.
Ogbanga proposed a four stage communication framework to scale grassroots resilience. This includes community led needs assessment, co creation of messages, multi channel dissemination through trusted networks and continuous feedback for improvement and policy advocacy.
She urged policymakers to integrate grassroots communication into national climate strategies and provide sustained funding for locally driven initiatives.
“Governments and funders must support long term, flexible investments in participatory communication if we are to see real behavioural change,” she said.
Despite limitations such as reliance on qualitative data and NGO reports, Ogbanga maintained that participatory approaches remain essential to climate action.
“Culturally grounded communication, driven by communities themselves, is key to converting awareness into sustained action and building climate resilience across Africa,” she said.