Afrobarometer parleys with African media on survey dissemination

Afrobarometer, a pan-African research network that measures public attitudes on economic, political, and social issues in Africa, has sought the partnership and collaboration of African media in the dissemination of its surveys on democracy, governance, economic conditions, social and cultural norms.

Afrobarometer is focused on tracking the attitudes, perspectives and aspirations of African citizens on democracy, governance, economic conditions, social and cultural norms and subsequently conveying its findings to policy actors at the national, continental and global levels.

“This press event provides us with the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that the voices of African citizens are heard to enable their societies to thrive. It also provides us with a good platform to formally thank you all for your continued support of our work – in the various ways you amplify our findings to wider audiences,” Prof. Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, chairman and co-founder of Afrobarometer, told African journalists attending the think-tank’s maiden press conference Wednesday.

Prof Gyimah-Boadi expressed satisfaction with the progress Afrobarometer had made since its founding in 1999, including increasing the number of countries surveyed from only 12 in 1999 to 39 in 2022, adding that the think-tank was making public opinion a central pillar of African policy-making and democracy.

“It has been deeply gratifying to see and hear leaders from around the world and the continent citing Afrobarometer data in public policy addresses and discourses. As we look ahead, we remain steadfast in our mission to continually share data-driven insights and evidence-based policy options. And we are confident that our efforts will generate tangible outcomes for citizens,” he assured.

In his remarks, Joseph Asunka, CEO of Afrobarometer, said Africa’s development should be anchored in the realities and preferences of its people; hence, Afrobarometer’s principal objective was to give ordinary African citizens a voice in policy making by capturing their experiences, evaluations, and perspectives, relying on the media to amplify the data and analysis they generate.

While speaking on the institution’s major achievements in 2022, the CEO said they had successfully completed surveys across more than 30 countries within 12 months and also finalized a 10-year strategy that will guide their surveys and related activities for the next 5 survey rounds, as well as establishing a dedicated communications unit to drive dissemination and uptake of Afrobaromter’s data and analytic products by governments, the media, researchers and CSOs, among others.