Communicating with Policymakers about Development Issues in Ghana: A Guide for the International Development Community

This 53-page report presents the findings of policy-focused qualitative research in Ghana conducted by AudienceScapes, a project of InterMedia. The research was designed to find out how policy actors (government officials and policy influencers outside government) gather, assess, share, and disseminate information critical to development policy work. The goal was to understand how external stakeholders, particularly members of the international development community, can most effectively engage and assist these policy actors. According to the report, policy actors rely heavily on Ghanaian radio "news headline" programmes, newspapers, and radio call-in shows to inform policy priorities and set agendas, despite frustration with a perceived lack of accuracy and objectivity in local media.

Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 15 senior-level members of the policy community, including representatives from parliament, government ministries, business associations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and multilateral donor institutions. The interviews were conducted in July and September 2009 and lasted roughly one hour each. The interviews focused on three broad themes: most important and influential information sources; personal assessment of policy-relevant information sources; and news and information sharing. The interviewees highlighted several actions that development organisations can take to improve the policy information environment. They also described several challenges in communicating with the public about development issues, and suggested some creative solutions.

The research found that policy actors compare multiple news sources, and favour prominent global news networks for coverage of world news. Policy actors have, on the whole, adopted new technologies such as the internet, email, and mobile phones to meet their information needs. They also monitor public opinion via frequent mobile phone calls to and from constituents, visits to the constituency, and reports from informal networks.

High value is placed on examples or case studies based on the experiences of other governments and international organisations to inform policy design and implementation. Policy actors see strong informational value in the many policy-oriented gatherings they must attend, although they complained that these formats are costly, and suggested that information and communication technology (ICT) solutions might allow them to get similar information at a lower cost.

The interviews yielded a number of observations about how the global development community can improve their outreach efforts. Most important was to understand the political culture and to cross-check and verify information. Respondents recommended allying with respected local groups who can both support and corroborate arguments and information presented to policymakers. The report states that Ghanaian policymakers are hungry for instructive examples of policy experiences from other countries and that development groups should make this information readily available. Recognising the importance of, and trying to work through, media outlets that tend to catch policy actors' attention was also seen as important, as was using formats for presenting information that policy actors tend to prefer, particularly concise written briefs supplemented by face-to-face meetings. Policy actors also stated that the earlier that input is received the more it influences policy and that development organisations should therefore stay abreast of the Ghanaian political calendar. In addition, policy actors suggested that development organisations help connect on-the-ground implementers and high-level policymakers wherever possible to improve the flow of evidence-based information.

The report also includes a number of recommendations for helping policy actors get the information they need. These include: bridging the development data gap to facilitate more informed decisions; improving information management systems and organisational capacity; devising methods to help government officials retain institutional knowledge; and supporting the training of skilled, impartial journalists who are capable of judging the importance of and reporting on various development issues.

The report identifies challenges and suggestions for improving information exchanges with the public. The main challenges cited by policy actors in disseminating information were illiteracy, multilingualism, lack of interest in development policy, and limited capacity or willingness of local media to report on the issues. Rather than relying on the media to disseminate the information on their own, some policy actors suggested direct methods such as buying radio airtime and arranging policymakers' appearances on radio call-in shows.

Policy actors consider it neither efficient nor effective at this stage to use newer ICTs such as email, cell phones, and short messaging service (SMS) to disseminate information. Creative strategies for reaching illiterate and/or disinterested members of the public - such as using local dialects, holding large public events, or using drama and music - were encouraged by several interviewees. Traditional authorities, such as chiefs or queen mothers, are also important for reaching out to the public. In addition, although policy actors made use of organised forums and interest groups for input into policy design, information gathered through informal channels was seen as equally important.