From 29-30 August 2018, a team of three trainers from the Abuja Office of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) held a training on policy communications for journalists in Minna, Niger State.
The 20 (14 male, 6 female) participants of the training represented various state and national news media firms (radio, television and print) operating in Niger State.
Given the importance of journalists in creating an enabling environment for effective policymaking, the training was geared towards strengthening the capacity of journalists to engage effectively in discussions on issues to do with agricultural policy in Nigeria by broadening their understanding of the policymaking process and contemporary tools for policy communication.
The topics covered by the training included an introduction to policy communications, the use of social media and sources of information on agriculture. There were also group exercises where participants were challenged to apply their new knowledge to solve problems.
Participants gave positive feedback, stating that they had a broader understanding of the policymaking process and on how to work with evidence from different sources (including research) in their reporting on agriculture. Many also expressed a commitment to begin using social media and other digital platforms to disseminate news more broadly, but more specifically on agricultural issues.
This training is part of the activities of the Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Policy Project, which is jointly implemented by IFPRI’s Nigeria Strategy support Program (IFPRI-NSSP) and Michigan State University with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID/
