May 25 2020 will be a very special “Africa Day” as the continent faces an unprecedented global health crisis. It will also mark the start of the 4th edition of Africa Communications Week, an annual campaign dedicated to communication professionals.
AfricaCommsWeek was launched in 2017 from an observation that remains more relevant than ever: communicators are meant to play a leading role in the socio-economic development of the continent.
Today, at the heart of the crisis, AfricaCommsWeek once again invites communicators to critically examine their relevance in such an uncertain context. What is the contribution of communicators in the planning, preparedness and response to the Covid-19 outbreak in Africa?
In light of this, the 2020 theme for AfricaCommsWeek is: “Lead from the front. Communicating in unprecedented times.” And as communicators, it is up to each of us to take ownership of this theme and expand it within our communities.
Now more than ever, communicators have the opportunity to lead from the front and demonstrate the strategic role of the profession, leading the response efforts to the Covid-19 pandemic for businesses, governments and civil society. The profession must be front and centre in providing guidance and best practice advisory in crisis communication and management.
Communication in such uncertainty requires nuanced messaging, and a fact-driven and empathetic approach that focuses on the public’s well-being and mental health. Ensuring that these key messages are accessible for all people at every level of education will be crucial.
And with this, the fight against misinformation and disinformation has never been more important – a matter of life and death. Communicators must work across disciplines and industries, coordinate and deploy innovative responses to the pandemic of fake news.
Communicators also play a key role in helping companies evolve and find innovative and new ways to do business. This is the time for innovation in communication. As organisations struggle to implement new work-from-home and virtual learning models, stakeholders must adopt new ways of working, learning and interacting. Communication professionals must not only embrace this new normal but are crucial in facilitating this fast changing environment.
The actions taken today will have a lasting impact on our ability to manage the post-coronavirus era and co-write the stories that underlie the transformation of the continent. There is therefore great urgency to coordinate our communication efforts to save lives and manage this new normal.
This is a call to action.
Now is the time for strategic communication.