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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The founding Executive Director, African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), and the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Senate President, Otive Igbuzor, has described as wrong and not modern the current strategy being deployed by African governments to address sustainable development in Africa.
Speaking at the opening of the Institute of Development Communication (ISDEVCOM), Nasarawa State University, Keffi, two-day international conference themed ‘Strategic Security and Health Communication for Sustainable Development’, he noted that there are challenges with operationalization of strategic security and health information on the continent.
He warned that the continent might just fulfill United Nations prediction that it may witness scenarios of breakdown characterized by deadly epidemics with vaccine inequality and poor health systems; uninhabitable planet with effects of climate change and destabilizing inequalities, if the challenges are not addressed.
Igbuzor said Africa achieving breakthrough requires focus on strategic security and health communication.
According to him, Africa’s “concept of national security is narrow. The approach of “hard” military power is wrong.
The approach to policing is not modern. Poverty and inequality are exacerbating insecurity. Governments in Africa have neglected strategic communication, he noted, adding that health communication is poor. Traditional channels and organisations are not utlised for strategic communication. Budget priorities are misplaced and no focus on social protection. The public health system is weak.
“As the UN Secretary-General report indicated, the choice before us is a breakdown or a breakthrough. A scenario of breakdown will be characterized by deadly pandemic with vaccine inequality and poor health systems; uninhabitable planet with effects of climate change and destabilizing inequalities. The scenario of breakthrough will be characterized by sustainable recovery with contained pandemics and vaccine equity; healthy people and planet with climate change challenges effectively dealt with and a world where there is trust and social protection with strong commitment to human rights, universal social protection, digital access, quality education, skills enhancement and global partnership for sustainable development. The desired scenario is a breakthrough and for this scenario to be achieved requires focus on strategic security and health communication.
