Côte d’Ivoire launches NAP communication strategy and digital campaign to engage youth in climate change adaptation
Côte d’Ivoire is currently preparing to launch its first national NAP document, which is expected to be validated by the minister in the coming month.
Recognizing that the country will not achieve its climate ambitions without bringing all actors and citizens into the NAP process, the Côte d’Ivoire government has worked in parallel on their first NAP communication strategy, published in April 2024.
The main objective of the strategy is to inform and raise awareness of the NAP’s priorities among all stakeholders, including civil society, women’s and youth associations, households and communities, institutional actors and parliamentarians, the private sector, the media, and research institutes and centres. This helps to facilitate ownership, implementation, and monitoring of the NAP process among all the parties involved.
The communication strategy defines four strategic areas: (i) ownership of the NAP by political decision-makers at all levels; (ii) public awareness of climate change adaptation best practices; (iii) documenting and sharing information on climate change adaptation measures; and (iv) coordination.
“The inclusive and participatory process used to develop the NAP communication strategy has been instrumental in integrating innovative ideas into the strategy, especially to reach actors who are often underrepresented in governmental processes, such as women and youth, and to move quickly into action,” said Anna Marleyne KOFFI, head of the Gender and Social Inclusion Unit, MINEDDTE.
To respond to the needs of different people, the strategy includes activities such as designing materials for social media, developing messages in local languages to be disseminated on the radio, supporting local dance and theatre groups to create shows that will raise awareness on adaptation issues and solutions, and more common activities, such as webinars or conferences.
To start the implementation of the strategy, the MINEDDTE launched the digital campaign #NotreClimatNotreCombat (#OurClimateOurFight) on social media in December 2023. The campaign aimed to spark youth interest in adaptation by sharing some high-level information describing the NAP and proposing some concrete actions to engage in adaptation action.
To reach youth, the government partnered with two national bloggers associations: Association des Blogueurs de Côte d’Ivoire (ABCI) and the Union Nationale des blogueurs de Côte d’Ivoire (UNBCI).
“It is crucial to combine our efforts to combat the effects of climate change in Côte d’Ivoire. This is why ABCI, as a citizens’ association, has decided to engage in the communication strategy process and its digital campaign to raise awareness and promote the NAP,” said Rita Pascale KWAMINAN, President of the Côte d’Ivoire Bloggers Association.
The bloggers created various media to appeal to their diverse audience, including visuals, videos, vlogs, articles in the digital press, a podcast, and a livestreamed conference on the NAP.
What’s Next?
“This digital campaign is the first step in a series of campaigns that will enable the government to reach out to a large variety of stakeholders. It is one of the first times that the government has partnered with bloggers’ associations to roll out the activities of a national communication strategy. This partnership has been a success and enabled us to already reach out to more than 300,000 youth in less than 10 days; 40,000 have seen one of the videos produced. This is encouraging, and we aim to replicate this type of engagement in the future,” said Mohamed SANOGO, National Climate Change program, MINEDDTE.
The MINEDDTE will soon set up a coordination committee to follow up the strategy by agreeing upon a detailed work plan for 2024 and engaging in activities to build on the success of the digital campaign. Communicating on adaptation globally and on the NAP process itself—that is, its content, progress, and areas of improvement—cannot be considered a secondary priority. Effective communication and information sharing raise the question of transparency, a way to guarantee public engagement and, ultimately, the success of the NAP.
“The bloggers in our association have learned so much during this campaign and are motivated to go on posting about the NAP, adaptation solutions, and best practices so that youth can get more involved in the NAP process and get ready to face the impacts of climate changes. This is just the beginning,” said Jean-Francois AMAN – UNBCI president.