Afrobarometer builds capacity of civil society organisations and journalists to harness data for advocacy and news reporting

Afrobarometer (www.Afrobarometer.org) has completed a five-day training for civil society organisations (CSOs) and media practitioners from Eastern and Southern Africa on using data for policy advocacy and news reporting.

Participants in the training, held in Lusaka, Zambia, learned how to effectively access and use Afrobarometer public opinion data, gaining practical skills in conducting online data analysis and interpreting survey results.

The CSO session equipped 21 participants with skills to amplify citizen voices on governance and economic and social issues through the use of Afrobarometer data. Participants also gained skills in presenting evidence-based insights to policy makers, enriching their advocacy campaigns and reports with relevant data.

Dominique Dryding, Afrobarometer capacity building manager (basic track), noted that the CSOs are uniquely positioned to highlight citizen priorities. “Through Afrobarometer data, which reflects the lived experience of citizens, civil society organisations can drive meaningful policy dialogues at both national and subnational levels,” she said.

Solomon Ngoma, executive director of the Action Institute for Policy Analysis Centre (AIPAC) in Zambia, noted the training’s value for his work.

“The skills I have gained from this Afrobarometer workshop are a game-changer. They will directly inform our policy analysis here in Zambia, allowing us to use data to create more effective and impactful policies,” he said. 

The media practitioners’ session focused on equipping journalists with tools to translate survey data into impactful stories that resonate with the general public. The training emphasised how they can use Afrobarometer data to spotlight citizens’ perspectives on various societal issues, hold leaders accountable through evidence-based reporting, and enrich news coverage with data.

Participants welcomed the practical benefits of the training.

“I’m returning to Ethiopia with a completely different perspective on Afrobarometer’s data,” said Firaul Hailu, a reporter for Asham TV. “I’ll definitely be using the depth of this resource, which spans almost three decades, as a reference for my news analysis.”

“My biggest takeaway from this workshop was learning how to pull data from Afrobarometer’s online platform and create my own visuals specifically for my viewers,” said Salome Baptister Kilasi, a news editor for the Tanzania Broadcasting Corp. “It’s fascinating how this will allow me to boost my news segments and add the kind of credibility that audiences really value.”

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