ACCRA, Ghana, September 1, 2025/APO Group: Afrobarometer hosted a five-day training for civil society organisations (CSOs) and media practitioners hailing from Eastern and Southern Africa on using data for policy advocacy and news reporting. The training discussed ways to effectively access and use Afrobarometer public opinion data, gaining practical skills in conducting online data analysis and interpreting survey results.
The CSO session equipped 21 participants with skills to amplify citizen voices on governance and economic and social issues through the use of Afrobarometer data. Participants also gained insight pertaining to the necessary skills in presenting evidence-based insights to policymakers, enriching their advocacy campaigns and reports with relevant data.
Afrobarometer capacity building manager (basic track) Dominique Dryding noted that the CSOs are uniquely positioned to highlight citizen priorities. “Through Afrobarometer data, which reflects the lived experience of citizens, civil society organisations can drive meaningful policy dialogues at both national and subnational levels,” she said.
The executive director of the Action Institute for Policy Analysis Centre (AIPAC) in Zambia, Solomon Ngoma, lauded the value offered by the training for his work. “The skills I have gained from this Afrobarometer workshop are a game-changer. They will directly inform our policy analysis here in Zambia, allowing us to use data to create more effective and impactful policies,” he said.
The media practitioners’ session focused on equipping journalists with tools to translate survey data into impactful stories that resonate with the general public. The training emphasised how they can use Afrobarometer data to spotlight citizens’ perspectives on various societal issues, hold leaders accountable through evidence-based reporting, and enrich news coverage with data, where practitioners welcomed practical benefits offered by the training.
