Leveraging social and behaviour change communication to tackle perennial flooding in Ghana

Ghana is a country known for its cultural heritage and lush landscapes. The country has been grappling with the issue of perennial flooding for so many years now. Flooding occurs annually in Ghana.

The devastating consequences of these floods range from loss of lives and destruction of property to the disruption of livelihoods and severe economic setbacks.

National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) reported on 14th April 2022 via Ghanaian Times (Accra) that about 604,475 people were affected by flood disasters between 2014 and 2020. Out of this number, about 174 people lost their lives.

This calls for an urgent remedy to ameliorate the situation.

While traditional solutions like infrastructure development and flood control measures are necessary, there is a pressing need to adopt a holistic approach that addresses the deep-rooted behavioural aspects contributing to the problem.

Flood which is known to be a natural disaster in other countries is rather an artificial disaster in Ghana. It is purely an attitudinal and behavioural problem in our part of the world which needs urgent solution.

This is where Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) comes in. SBCC can play a crucial role as far as flooding in Ghana is concerned.

Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC)

Social and Behaviour Change Communication is the strategic use of communication approaches to promote changes in knowledge, attitudes, norms, beliefs and behaviours.

It also refers to the coordination of messages and activities across a variety of channels to reach multiple levels of society, including the individual, the community, services and policy (Hopkins, 2016-2020).

SBCC is grounded in theory and is evidence-based. Programmes are designed based on existing data and they follow a systematic process, analysing the problem to define barriers and motivators to change and design a comprehensive set of tailored interventions that promote the desired behaviours.

SBCC applies a Socio-Ecological Model (SEM) that recognizes the relationship between people and their environment to identify “tipping points” to change individual behaviours and social norms.

The Social Ecological Model was devised by Bronfenbrenner in 1979. It employs a combination of strategic messaging, community engagement, and interpersonal communication to catalyze behaviour change.

When applied to the issue of perennial flooding, SBCC can play a crucial role to empower individuals and communities to take proactive measures to mitigate the impact of flooding.

SBCC being a systematic approach, its first step to tackling flooding, is to raise sufficient awareness and improve and maintain individual knowledge about flooding and its causes.

Most of the causes of flooding are very familiar to many Ghanaians. However, it appears some Ghanaians are still unaware of the underlying factors contributing to flooding, such as improper waste disposal, deforestation, inadequate infrastructure, and building on waterways among others.

By leveraging SBCC, individuals can be educated on their actions and inactions that cause flooding issues through mass media campaigns, focused group discussions, community meetings, churches, Mosques, markets, funeral grounds and interactive workshops.

Crucially, the information delivered should be tailored to the local context, incorporating cultural beliefs and practices to ensure relevance and maximize impact.

SBCC emphasizes the importance of promoting positive behavioural changes within communities. Government agencies such National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the Media, the Local Government Department etc could encourage households to practice proper waste management by disposing of waste in designated areas and utilizing recycling initiatives.

This could be done using Behaviour Change Communication Strategy. Emphasis should also be placed on tree planting and the preservation of natural waterways to reduce the impact of flooding.

Active community participation is vital to the success of any SBCC programme.

Government agencies, NGOs and all flood fighters should involve community leaders and local influencers in flood-prone areas so that campaigns can be more effective in driving behavioural changes.

Community participation should extend beyond awareness campaigns to include community clean-up activities, tree-planting initiatives, and the establishment of flood alert systems.

Engaging the community will foster a sense of ownership and collective responsibility in tackling perennial flooding issues. This cannot materialize if the necessary resources – funds, vehicles, fuel, dust bins, seedlings, billboards, posters, etc are not made available.

To ensure the success and sustainability of SBCC efforts, collaboration between governmental institutions, NGOs, and communities is crucial. Partnering with local organizations and government agencies will help provide resources, funding, and technical expertise to support SBCC initiatives. The resources can be mobilised through advocacy and lobbying.

Additionally, private-sector partnerships can aid in the dissemination of messages through their networks and enhance the programme’s reach.

Furthermore, it is essential for the government through its agencies and all interested parties to continuously monitor and evaluate the impact of the SBCC approach to flood mitigation.

Collecting data on changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours related to flooding will help determine the programme’s effectiveness.

Feedback from the community should be valued and used to make necessary adjustments in the communication strategy to promote sustained behaviour change. All these should be done taking into consideration the government’s indicators to measure the success of the project.

It is important to draw government attention to the fact that it is practically impossible to curb perennial flooding by merely sticking to the use of the Information Education Communication Strategy.

This has been used throughout the years with no positive results to show. Flooding continues to occur with its distractive agents – loss of lives, and destruction of property, among others.

There are more appropriate and results-oriented Behaviour Change Communication Strategies that could be used to mitigate this seemingly insurmountable problem. Social and Behaviour Change Communication Strategies such as Advocacy and Interpersonal Communication are the best strategies if adopted, would curtail perennial flooding in Ghana.

Advocacy is an activity by an individual or group that aims to influence decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. It includes activities and publications to influence public policy, laws and budgets by using facts, their relationships, the media, and messaging to educate government officials and the public.

This can practically be applied through the ASK approach. This approach can be implemented when the community processes are duly followed for awareness creation. In rolling out the ASK approach, the A is activated leaders, S means to share experience, skills and resources to empower the leaders to carry out their work effectively and finally K-know your context.

Interpersonal communication is a face-to-face exchange of information between two or more people. It is also an area of research that seeks to understand how humans use verbal and non-verbal cues to accomplish several personal and relational goals.

This is practically applied through the GATHER approach. It is appropriately carried out after formative research has been done. The acronym GATHER stands for G-Greet the people, A-Ask about their welfare, T-Tell them your mission, H-Help them to make decisions regarding the problem, E-Explain to them why it is necessary they take such decisions and finally, R-Return to monitor, evaluate and re-plan to ensure the sustainability of the project.

In conclusion, whilst traditional solutions to addressing flooding such as infrastructure development are necessary, the utilization of SBCC approaches and strategies provide a holistic approach to tackling the behavioural aspects contributing to the perennial flooding in Ghana.

By raising awareness, promoting positive behavioural changes, encouraging community participation, and fostering collaborative partnerships, Ghana can empower its citizens to take proactive steps in mitigating the impact of floods. Combining the forces and the two SBCC strategies of communication and behaviour change offers a glimmer of hope in resolving this long-standing issue that has plagued the country for some time now.