TheCable

The Institute of Development Communication (ISDEVCOM) of the Nasarawa State University in Keffi, will organise a two-day international conference on “health communication for sustainable development”.

Uzoma Onyegbadue, chairman of the conference organising committee, in a statement on Monday, said the event will hold from October 28 to October 29, 2021.

According to the statement, the event will take place at the Nasarawa State University campus and will focus on the theme, ‘Strategic Security and Health Communication for Sustainable Development’.

“The conference is being held against the backdrop of the need for sustainable development, especially in developing countries like Nigeria and in Africa, which has become both imperative and urgent in view of the poor milestones so far recorded in the march towards attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030,” the statement reads.

“While the fundamental role of communication in propelling the drive towards sustainable national development is, without doubt, grossly under-explored in Africa, development communication is, however, vital in providing a guide for people to have a full understanding of their own needs, their current situation, and their options for change.”

Speaking on the importance of the conference, Emmanuel Dandaura, executive director of the institute and convener of the conference, said the event, which is the third edition, will focus on promoting policy strategies on national development.

Discussions at the conference will focus on drug abuse, behaviour change communication, strategic communication as a non-kinetic approach to internal security management, COVID-19 and the new lessons in development communication, among others.

Dignitaries expected at the event include Buba Marwa, chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA); Shubham Chaudhuri, World Bank Nigeria country director; and Otive Igbuzor, founding executive director, African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development.