REPORT ON

    THE RANET ZAMBIA COMMUNITY RADIO MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP,

12-16 JULY 2004, ANDREWS MOTEL, LUSAKA

  By  

R G MUMBI

RANET ZAMBIA CONSULTANT

JULY 2004

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  

top

RANET Zambia, a project under the Zambia Meteorological Department held a successful training workshop in Lusaka, Zambia from 12^th to 16^th July 2004 at Andrews Motel. Twenty-two participants drawn from nine Community Radio Stations in the country attended the workshop.  The Secretary and the Treasurer from each community radio station were invited to attend the workshop. Two Provincial Meteorological Officers and some Meteorological Department staff from some provinces together with NOAA representative, Ms Aurelia Micko, Mr Samuel Muchemi from RANET Kenya, Mr Milton Waiswa from RANET Uganda and Mr Michel Legrand Saah, Deputy Director of Meteorological  Services of Cameroon, were also present. The Director of the Zambia Meteorological Department (ZMD), Mr M. Muchinda, welcomed  Hon. H Mazimba (Deputy Minister of Communication and Transport), MP, who officiated at the opening ceremony.  

back top

OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP

The overall objective of the workshop was to impact skills of managing community radio broadcasting stations amongst the management boards.

Specific objectives were:  

    ·              To enhance the capacity of community radio management boards to fully           understand, appreciate and therefore effectively manage community radio stations.

·           To impart the management boards with the knowledge and techniques on resource mobilisation in order to sustain the radio stations.

·          To expose managers of community radio stations to the process of information gathering, interpretation and packaging for broadcasting.

·          To introduce journalists to management techniques as applied to community-based organizations and drawing up their responsibilities.                          

Back top

  OPENING CEREMONY

The Hon. Deputy Minister of Communications and Transport Mr.H.Mazimba officially opened the RANET Zambia Training workshop for Community Radio Station managers.  In his speech, Mr. Mazimba pointed out the importance of information broadcasting for both community and national development.  He also pointed out that it is generally easy to communicate with the urban and peri-urban communities, but it is difficult to communicate with rural communities.   

Therefore, the Minister emphasized the need for well-managed community radio stations that will ensure broadcasting of important information to the rural actors.  He pointed out that there were thousands of villagers, farmers to mention but a few who are involved in many developmental activities but lack appropriate information.  Mr Mazimba indicated that there was need for technical capacity, awareness, and improved communication among the rural communities so as to enable them participate fully in the development of the country. The Minister indicated that it was against this background that his Ministry, through the Zambia Meteorological Department embarked on the RANET Project, to assist rural communities to acquire FM broadcasting stations with a view to have climate and weather information disseminated timely to the rural farmers in order to assist them in the planning of their agricultural activities among other things.

Mr Mazimba went on to say that climate and weather information was not the only developmental information rural communities needed. They also needed information on health, which includes HIV/AIDS and malaria, information on education, information on disaster management, on agricultural inputs, and marketing of their produce.  The RANET community radio had the capacity to deliver such information to the Zambian rural communities.

  Mr Mazimba ended by thanking the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for the support and interest shown in helping RANET Zambia. In his final remarks, he also urged the workshop participants to be serious with the deliberations in order to benefit fully from the workshop.

The opening ceremony also included a speech from the Director of the Zambia Meteorological Department Mr M Muchinda.  In his speech Mr. Muchinda stated that RANET Zambia Project was conceived following an inaugural workshop, which was organised by the Zambia Meteorological Department (ZMD), and held at Mulungushi International Conference Centre on 22^nd September 2000.

The Director stated that the Zambia Meteorological Department embraced this information technology for rural communication using radio and Internet (RANET). The African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) based in Niamey, Niger initiated the project.

Mr Muchinda ended his speech by emphasizing that the workshop was going to enhance the capacity of the management committees of community radio stations to understand and appreciate the generation and application of developmental information and also would produce a report outlining strategies to be adopted by management committees on the running of community based organizations.  

Back top

PRESENTATIONS

As for the training of Community Radio Management Committees, the RANET Zambia Training Workshop covered many sessions, over period of five days, where several experts from the Broadcasting fraternity and other institutions made presentations on the management of Community Radio Stations .  Mr K S Silavwe from the Department of Civil Aviation facilitated the sessions. 

 DAY ONE

1.1  COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO WEATHER FORECASTS- with particular reference to strategic decision making in Agriculture.   -    F. Ngwira   

Participants were helped to understand information on weather and climate forecasts and how they can broadcast such information properly to the community.

1.2 RANET ZAMBIA PROJECT – R.G Mumbi

Under this presentation a brief but authentic historical background was given and participants were made aware of the abundance of developmental information already available in the RANET System and how the community Radio Stations can take advantage of the project.

2.1 BASICS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT – Victor .M. Bupe

The lecture helped the participants to understand the fundamentals of project management and its relevance.  Many aspects of managing projects were explained.

2.2 PROJECT PROPOSAL WRITING- Robby Kasubika

Participants were helped to understand how to write useful project proposals.  The presentation emphasized the importance of project proposals and highlighted the various types of project proposals.

2.2 ROLE OF METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT- A. Mulambu

The presentation emphasized the importance of Meteorological information in community development.  It highlighted the various ways in which meteorological information could be used.  Participants were encouraged to broadcast meteorological information.

2.3 BRIEF HISTORY OF RANET- Samuel Muchemi

The presenter gave the historical background of the RANET Project in general.  The aspects covered here included what is RANET, Mission statement, History, RANET Africa Principles, RANET Africa activities and RANET Country activities.  The participants were helped to understand the whole spectrum of the RANET Technology.

2.4 RANET IN AFRICA- A case of Uganda – Milton Waiswa

This presentation gave highlights of what RANET was doing in Uganda.  The participants were able to learn how the project in Uganda had involved other stakeholders to work with the community radio stations in the implementation of the project.

2.5 AN OVERVIEW OF COMMUNICATION IN MANAGEMENT –                   Jacob Nkomoki

The presentation emphasized the importance of communication in management.  It brought out some of the factors that hinder effective communication and factors that promote effective communication.    The participants were helped to understand why effective communication is vital in management.

DAY THREE

3.1 RURAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP – THE CLUSA APPROACH –        Charles Mjumphi

The participants learnt about entrepreneurship and why it is important especially for Community Radio Stations.  The participants were encouraged to develop entrepreneurial skills if they were to manage their radio stations sustainably. 

The presentation highlighted one of the entrepreneurships the Cooperative League of the USA (CLUSA) was promoting in its extension services in Zambia.

3.2 COMMUNITY RADIOS. WHAT ARE THEY? -  Fr. Frank Bwalya

The presentation discussed among other things what community radio stations were, their characteristics and advantages.  The presenter also commented on the differences between community radio stations and commercial radio stations hence the participants were able to understand the distinction between the two.

3.3 SEASONAL FORECAST 2003/2004, ZAMBIA – Jacob Nkomoki

Under this presentation, the basics of preparing seasonal weather forecasts were discussed.

3.4 ZAMBIA METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT– ROLE AND OPERATION OF THE NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE- Maurice Muchinda

The Director of the Zambia Meteorological Department discussed what ZMD was all about and what products and services that the department was able to offer to the community radio stations and the general public at large..

3.5 ONE WORLD RADIO – A. Wafula

The participants were upraised on the activities of One World Radio, that is content production, web development etc.  

back top

DAY FOUR

4.1 INFORMATION SYSTEM SECURITY – Victor Bupe

The speaker here presented to the participants on how they can handle their information security especially with regard to computers.  Among the topics covered here included: categories of risks, Risk management process, Prevention measures and Computer legislation.

4.2 PRESENTATIONS FROM RADIO STATIONS

The participants were able to learn about what other radio stations were doing and their experiences.  This session enabled individual radio stations to learn from other stations on issues of management and how to ensure sustainability.

On the closing day, the Acting Chairman of RANET Zambia, Mr Malama Muleba made few closing remarks urging the participants to put what they had learnt into practice.

The Director of the Meteorological Department, Mr. Maurice Muchinda and the RANET Zambia A/Chairman, Mr. Malama Muleba, presented participants with certificates of attendance. The Director of Meteorology officially closed the workshop.  In the afternoon participants toured Radio Yatsani where they were shown a number of broadcasting equipment.  

Back top

The workshop ended successfully inspite of inadquate coverage accorded to some topics such as Basics of Project Management, Project Proposal writing and Information Security. The participant wanted more topics that could impart more skills to sustain the operations of their stations. The proposed topics included, Financial Management, Leadership skills, entrepreneurship, Peak performance and strategic planning. They further stated that more information on weather be presented to broadcasters (implementers) rather than the Members of the Board.

The Director of Meteorology thanked the participants for having responded to invitations, and he looked forward to working closely with community radio stations, especially with regard to dissemination of Meteorological data and information to rural  communities.  

Back top

Recommendations.

I.          It’s important that in the next workshop arrangements should start much earlier, and that includes the availability of funds on time. The materials required by participants and requests for resource persons be sent on time to avoid the problem of deviating from actual objectives of the workshop.

II.         After the workshop follow-ups are necessary to assess if  participants are  able to put into practice what they leant.

III.        Training of management to continue so as to avoid gaps that may  be as a result of  some current board members decide to leave.

IV.        Ranet Zambia should organise another workshop for the broadcasters so that they are equipped with knowledge on  how best they can interpret and disseminate weather and climate information to the community .

V.        Some board members from Community Radio Stations to be part of the Ranet Zambia Board.

DAY 1             12TH  JULY, 2004

 SESSION 3

 11 00 –11 30 COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO WEATHER FORECASTS 

                        with particular reference to strategic decision making  in agriculture - F Ngwira

11:30 – 1200 HOURS     RANET ZAMBIA PROJECT – R.G Mumbi

DAY 2             13^TH JULY 2004.

SESSION 4

CHAIR            SR. JULIE ZULU            RAPPORTEUR MR. C.F. NGWIRA

0840 – 0900            ICE BREAKING / RECAP                       

0900 – 1000            The RANET project/demonstration          Aurelia Micko /R.G. Mumbi

1000 – 1030            Coffee/Tea Break

1030 – 1115            Project Management                             V. Bupe

1115 – 1145            Project Proposal writing              R. Kasubika

1145 – 1215            Role of Met Information in

             Community development                 A. Mulambu

1215 – 1430            Lunch Break  

Back top

 SESSION 5

CHAIR            MR R.G. MUMBI            RAPPORTEUR MR D. CHANDA

1430 – 1510            Community Radio, What are they?             Fr Frank Bwalya

1510 – 1550            RANET Experience in Uganda              Mr M. Waiswa

1550 – 1610            Coffee/Tea Break

1610 – 1640            Talk with the professional                  Mr M. Daka

DAY 3             14^TH JULY 2004.

TIME

0800 – 0900            Ice breaking/Recap

0900 – 0945            one World Africa                                Mr Wafula

0945 – 1000            Introduction to Rural Entrepreneurship Mr C. Mjumphi

1000 – 1030            Coffee/Tea Break

1030 – 1145            Rural Entrepreneurship                     Mr C. Mjumphi

1145 – 1215          Role of the Zambia Met Department Mr M.R.Muchinda

1215 – 1300            Seasonal Weather forecasts              Mr J. Nkomoki

1300 – 1430            Lunch Break

1430 – 1550            Reception and interpretation of Weather

              Information/Discussion               Mr R. G. Mumbi

1550 – 1610            Coffee/Tea Break

1610 – 1650            Reception and Interpretation of Weather

             Information/Discussion continue R.G. Mumbi  

Back top

DAY 4             15^TH JULY 2004.

0840 – 0900            Ice breaking / Recap

0900 – 0920            RANET Project in Kenya                   Mr S. Muchemi

0920 – 0940            Short presentation on Activities of Community

                             Radio station  - Twitemwe Community Radio Representative

0940 – 1000            Maria

1000 – 1030            Coffee/Tea Break

1030 – 1100            Radio Telecentres            short Video

1100 – 1120            Short presentation on activities of community Radio

             Station – PASME Community Radio representative

1120 – 1140            Radio   Mano

1140 – 1200            Radio   Chikaya

1200 – 1220            Radio   Mazabuka

1220 – 1240            Radio    Maria

1240 – 1300            Radio    Mumbwa

1300 – 1430            Lunch Break

SESSION 9

1430 – 1500            Community Radio / Telecentres-Short Video

1500 – 1550            Role of the Media        

1550 – 1610            Coffee/Tea break

1610 – 1640            Information Systems Security         Mr V. Bupe

END OF DAY 4  

DAY 5             15^TH JULY 2004.

0840 – 1000            The way forward / group discussion  -   Participants

1000 – 1030            Coffee/Tea Break

1030 – 1100            Group Presentation                     -       Participants

1100 – 1130            Evaluation of workshop

1130 – 1230            Presentation of Certificates.

1230 – 1245            Closing Speech - Mr Maurice Muchinda  Director of Meteorology

1245 – 1430 Luncheon and Farewell

1430    END OF WORKSHOP!!!  

Back top

  Go top