Centre for Development Communication

This field study shows that women in Kuje understand household economics better than the policies designed to “empower” them—and have been proving it daily for over 15 years.

Participatory Development Lesson #2: Community Mapping for Women’s Empowerment and Policy Action in Kuje, Abuja The Centre for Development Communication (CDC), through its Citizens’ Voices Project, applied community mapping as a participatory communication approach to engage women in the informal sector in Kuje Area Council, Abuja. The project was designed to enable women to articulate their lived economic ...

Nigeria’s democracy is not failing because citizens disengaged—it is failing because political parties abandoned development. Drawing from field notes across Lagos and Abuja, this study exposes how political parties have been reduced to vote-gathering machines rather than people-centred development institutions. Citizens describe elite capture, election-centric mobilisation, and the collapse of party ideology as key drivers of democratic disillusionment.

This new publication by the Centre for Development Communication (DevCom) challenges us to rethink political parties as agents of participation, legitimacy, and sustainable development—not just access points to power.

Political Parties and Citizen Perceptions of Development in Nigeria: A Field Note Study in Lagos and Abuja Introduction This field note–based study examined whether the management and functionality of political parties in Nigeria have contributed to shaping citizens’ support for—or withdrawal from—democracy. Lagos and Abuja were selected as case studies due to their cosmopolitan characteristics, ...

Development Work Requires Education, Not Just English Literacy

Development communication is not about English literacy alone. It is a participatory approach that facilitates education, empowering people to think critically, question systems, and transform their communities.

This type of education is achieved through development communication because it treats communication as dialogue and negotiation, not mere information dissemination.

Also, it fosters learning rooted in indigenous knowledge systems, enabling communities to design homegrown solutions. It does not allow for the imposition of foreign solutions that are often unsuitable for local realities.

Unfortunately, my engagements with communities reveal that many development practitioners reduce development to English literacy.

For these practitioners, the goal is often to teach people how to read reports and interpret data. They fail to educate communities about the real issues beyond the figures, charts, and PowerPoint slides.

As a community chief in Orozo, Abuja, once said:

"Our people need education that will empower them to design and implement homegrown solutions to the problems affecting them—not just the big English-speaking NGOs coming here to speak all the time."

We often forget that literacy teaches people how to read and write, while education empowers them to think, question, and transform their communities.

A literate person may decode letters on a page, but an educated person can decode life, systems, and power.

In development, literacy is important — but education is indispensable. It equips people with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to create solutions, not just consume information.

If we want sustainable change, we must invest in education that empowers action, not just literacy that counts numbers.

Audu Liberty Oseni
Centre for Development Communication

Do You Know That Sharing Participants Photos Without Consent is a Serious Offence in Nigeria?

Ethical Communication 101

Communication officers in many NGOs are often in a hurry to show proof of their work by demonstrating capacity in publicity handling and PR. Although that is a good start, it has to be done with caution — and this is why.

In many development projects, it has become common practice to take photos of participants during training or community events and immediately share them on social media or with funders as evidence of “impact.”

While this may appear harmless, it is in fact a serious violation of the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023.

The law is clear: an individual’s photograph is personal data. This means that before it can be captured, stored, or shared, the individual must give informed consent. Consent must be freely given, specific, and unambiguous. Anything short of this is unlawful.

Unfortunately, many organisations bypass this critical step, exposing participants to risks and themselves to legal and reputational consequences.

The NDPA empowers the Nigeria Data Protection Commission to investigate breaches and impose sanctions, including fines.

For development practitioners and NGOs, this can also jeopardise donor relationships, as funders are increasingly prioritising compliance with data protection and safeguarding standards.

The solution is simple: respect participants’ rights. Integrate consent into your project cycle.

During registration or orientation, provide a clear consent form explaining how images will be used — whether for reports, social media, or newsletters. Give participants the right to say no, and respect their choice.

Development work is about empowering people, not exploiting their image. By adhering to the NDPA 2023, organisations not only stay compliant with the law but also build trust, credibility, and a culture of dignity in their engagement with communities.

Audu Liberty Oseni
Director, Center for Development Communication

Field Note: Climate Change is Deepening Rural Poverty and Inequality Among Women Farmers in Abuja

As part of our Indigenous Climate Action Network (ICAN) — a climate resilience initiative that deploys Indigenous communication approaches to listen, learn, and co-create context-appropriate adaptation and mitigation actions — I visited rural communities in the FCT to engage with women farmers and hear their lived experiences.

Across Jiwa, Abaji, and Chikuku, a shared reality emerged: climate change is steadily eroding livelihoods, worsening poverty, and amplifying inequality among rural women.

In Jiwa, near Dei Dei, one farmer captured the mood:
“We are now very poor. Our vegetable farms — our only source of food, income, and school fees for our children — have been ruined by unpredictable weather. We cannot do irrigation because we don’t have the means.”

Field Note: Climate Change is Deepening Rural Poverty and Inequality Among Women Farmers in Abuja As part of our Indigenous Climate Action Network (ICAN) — a climate resilience initiative that deploys Indigenous communication approaches to listen, learn, and co-create context-appropriate adaptation and mitigation actions — I visited rural communities in the FCT to engage with women farmers a...

We Don't Hate Corruption — We Hate Being Left Out of the Loot

As a guest analyst on 93.9 Jordan FM Abuja, I argued that one of Africa’s silent crises is the selective outrage against corruption.

Click 👇 to listen

https://open.spotify.com/episode/08thaDFE2F6sTpv94RyG5h?si=ZMkRi7dURwmRpROSRRvaPA

We Don't Hate Corruption — We Hate Being Left Out of the Loot DevTalks · Episode

🌍 Centre 4 Development Wins International Recognition!

We’re proud to announce that the Centre 4 Development Communication (formerly MAWA Foundation) has been awarded Best Community Engagement NGO – Nigeria (2025) by Acquisition International.

This honour reaffirms our belief that true development begins with the people, not with projects.

It reflects our unwavering commitment to empowering communities through participatory engagement, transparency, and actions that speak louder than reports.

To all our partners, community members, and volunteers — this award is yours. You continue to inspire and sustain the mission every step of the way.

Thank you for walking this journey with us.

MAWA-Foundation (2025 Winner: Non-Profit Organisation Awards) - Acquisition International MAWA-Foundation is one of the 2025 winners of Non-Profit Organisation Awards.