Use social media wisely, responsibly : Adesina tells African leaders

Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the President, African Development Bank (AfDB), has advised African governments and leaders to sensitively use social media platforms instead of politicising them.

Adesina said this on Friday in Abuja while delivering a lecture on “Social Media, National Security and Social Change: Bridging the Gap for Development in Africa”.

The AfDB president noted that social media were excellent platforms for policy makers and public officials to engage with the citizens.

He, however, emphasised that information and communication must be “fact based, devoid of propaganda, short and straight to the point, informational, educational, and inspiring”.

“Every level of government must recognise the power of homegrown, or global social media platforms as strategic instruments for direct communication with the public they serve.

“This should be done in a way that is more consistent with the day-to-day realities of citizens.

“The rise of the “network society” offers those in power a unique opportunity to engage in real-time meaningful dialogues with constituents, involve them in policy making and address genuine grievances, long before they become toxic.’’

“Whenever I look at the rapid uptake of social media by millions of mobile phone users in Nigeria, I cannot see why communication should not be at the heart of development policies and good governance’’, Adesina said.

He further advised governments and leaders in the continent to be more proactive and responsible users of social media space to effectively fight for the hearts and minds of those they are called to serve.

“As such, social media should be utilised sensitively by governments — and not politicised.”

“The effective use of social media platforms require clear distinctions between political advertising and public service information and the temptation to blur the lines for political gains.

“Leaders have no choice but to engage with citizens. Citizens now have social platforms to speak, vent and engage in the public sphere.

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“Leaders, who are far from their people, no longer have a place to hide. The people are at their gates, daily, with inquiries, views, opinions, vitriol and sometimes sarcasm,’’ Adesina said.

He said everyone was now living in a new world of rapid social dialogue, “from Twitter to Tik-Tok or any other social media platform, for that matter, our lives would not be the same without them.”

The AfDB president stressed that communication for development and good governance required innovation, creativity, and “an astute understanding of the felt needs and grievances of citizens”.

Development and policy communication via social media also require restraint and proactive responses, in order to avoid a firefighting approach, he added.

Adesina however, advised people to always do the right thing: follow the law, act honourably, and treat each other with respect.

He also said that the biggest promise of social media dwelt in its technological capabilities that could facilitate direct, constructive, creative, and mass political involvement.

He added that this was from a national security perspective, noting that social media and development had entered an exciting phase.

“Aside from self-advocacy and the creation of platforms for people to speak for themselves, the opportunities for wealth creation in application and content development, marketing, branding, e-commerce, and Business-to-Business opportunities are mind-boggling.”

According to the International Finance Corporation, Africa’s Internet economy contributes close to $115 billion dollars or about 4.5 per cent of the continent’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and could reach $180 billion dollars, or 5.2 per cent of GDP by 2025.

Adesina, however, noted that the “network society” was not without shortcomings.

“Despite the many benefits of social media, because it is possible to hide identities, it is very common to have abuse of social media.

“If rules are not well established and norms of conduct well enforced, misuse of social media could cause discord, unravel societies, due to susceptibility to foreign influence, social engineering and cyber-attacks”, he said.

Adesina described social media as nothing short of a revolution which would play a definitive role in Africa’s transformation and economic evolution, as results were important for institutions, businesses and governments which impact on the lives of people.

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“When the gap between the expectations of citizens and promises of governments widen, the gulf of mistrust or distrust deepens, and social media becomes an avenue in which people vent their frustrations or dissatisfaction.”

He stressed the need to close the digital divide for every Nigerian to have reliable and affordable internet access.

“This access will expand digital financial inclusion and wider use of social media platforms. Social media is here to stay”, Adesina stressed.

He further advised that the role of leaders was to anticipate the future before it arrived and to create an enabling environment with robust infrastructure, the right policies, rules, and regulations.

“By fully leveraging the power of technology, social media and communication platforms, we will create a better, more inclusive and prosperous Nigeria.

“A nation where all voices are heard, where all platforms are used, where decency and respect is given to all, and where security is assured for all”, the AfDB president said.