LocationsCommunity of Practice focused on digital innovation, AI-powered storytelling, and a coherent regional communications strategy
UNDP West and Central Africa Convenes Community of Practice to Drive Unified Voice Under the New 2026–2029 Strategic Plan
July 8, 2026
Group photo of the participants of the Community of Practice (CoP) on Communications, Outreach, Strategic Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation
UNDP WACA
Saly, Senegal — 04 July 2026: Communications, outreach, partnerships and resource mobilisation professionals from across West and Central Africa gathered in Saly, Senegal, for the UNDP Sub-regional Hub for West and Central Africa's (UNDP WACA) Community of Practice (CoP) on Communications, Outreach, Strategic Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation. The three-day gathering — held from 1 to 3 July 2026 — marked the first such regional convening since the launch of the new UNDP Strategic Plan 2026–2029 and brought together staff from most of the 24 UNDP Country Offices in West and Central Africa, Rwanda and South Africa, the Regional Service Centre for Africa (RSCA) based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and the Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA) at UNDP headquarters in New York.
The CoP provided a critical platform to align regional and country-level communications strategies with the four strategic objectives of the new Strategic Plan — Prosperity for All, Effective Governance, Crisis Resilience and a Healthy Planet — and its three accelerators of digital and AI transformation, gender equality and sustainable finance. Over three days, participants engaged in presentations, targeted capacity-building sessions and structured peer-to-peer exchanges covering strategic communications, human-impact storytelling, partnerships and resource mobilisation, risk communications, misinformation and disinformation management, partner visibility and the building and sustaining of strategic partnerships.
Njoya Tikum, Director of the UNDP Sub-regional Hub for West and Central Africa and UNDP Senegal Resident Representative
UNDP WACA
Director Njoya Tikum opened the CoP by underscoring the foundational role of communications in UNDP's mandate — and the strategic urgency of this gathering. In his thought-provoking and motivational welcoming remarks, he drew a direct line between strategic communications, communications capacity and development impact:
“Communication cannot be an afterthought in our offices... my challenge to you all, Communications experts, specialists, officers… is to think about how you make communication the pillar of the programmes and projects... Communication should be an end in itself, and not only a means to an end. Therefore, focus on making a value proposition for Communication.” — Njoya Tikum, Director of the UNDP Sub-regional Hub for West and Central Africa and UNDP Senegal Resident Representative.
The CoP featured intensive capacity-building sessions on audio-visual storytelling, designed to equip country office teams with practical skills to amplify UNDP's impact across traditional media, digital platforms and emerging channels. Participants also received in-depth briefings on strategic communications, strategic partnerships, visibility and impact for partners, results-based communications and storytelling, photo and video editing, as well as graphic design — with a view to strengthening coherence and consistency of institutional messaging across the region.
UNDP WACA
In a region as linguistically, politically and culturally diverse as West and Central Africa, peer exchange is not just professionally valuable — it is strategically essential. Lawrence Che Neba, from UNDP Cameroon, reflected on the CoP's most enduring contribution:
"The CoP has been a valuable space for learning, sharing, and strategic reflection, while strengthening connections with colleagues to leverage communication and partnerships for influencing change, mobilising resources, and sustaining impact for development." — Lawrence Che Neba, Communications Specialist, UNDP Cameroon.
The structured peer-to-peer sessions — where country offices presented communications case studies, shared campaign tools and discussed audience strategies — were consistently rated among the most valuable elements of the programme by participants.
Pâmela Pereira from UNDP Guinea-Bissau Country Office, left the CoP with a great sense of belonging to a community. "I think the most important thing I’m taking away is the sense of community, the sense of unity, and also the idea of supporting one another in our shared work. We’re going through difficult times, so I think supporting one another professionally will help not only us as professionals but also UNDP as a whole."
UNDP WACA
Invited as a Guest presenter, Hiro Saito, Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Dakar, Senegal, was elated to meet with UNDP colleagues from different countries in Africa to discuss information integrity and the risks surrounding information issues, particularly disinformation and misinformation.
“It was amazing to share what they are facing on the ground and to understand how we can tackle the information risks altogether. I went through several methods, especially the method called "3R": Research, Risk Assessment, and Response, which I hope will help our colleagues on the ground. But this issue of disinformation is an emerging issue, and we will continue to discuss it. We all need to adapt and improve our methods." - Hiro Saito.
COMMITMENTS AND THE ROAD AHEAD
At the close of the CoP, participants endorsed a set of commitments to strengthen regional communications coherence. These include the alignment of country communications strategies with the Strategic Plan's four objectives; strengthened collaboration between communications, partnerships and resource mobilisation teams at the country, regional and global levels; and the launch of a peer-learning network to sustain knowledge exchange beyond the walls of the Saly convening.
The CoP was organised by the UNDP WACA Communications Unit, with a broader view to building a coherent, innovative and impact-driven communications culture across one of the most diverse and dynamic sub-regions in the world.
Aissatou Balde, UNDP WACA Partnership and Ressource Mobilisation Officer
undpwaca
Media Contact:
Jacob Enoh Eben | Head of Communications | UNDP Sub-Regional Hub for West and Central Africa | jacob.enoh.eben@undp.org | Tel: +221 77 358 6662
Dan-Vieira Da Costa | Spécialiste en communication | PNUD WACA & Sénégal | dan-vieira.da.costa@undp.org | Tel: +221 78 111 34 07