Project Overview

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), with support from the MacArthur Foundation and the Institute of International Education (IIE), implemented a COVID-19 sensitisation campaign in Kano State in 2020. The initiative responded to the need for accessible, practical and trusted information about the coronavirus, its transmission and the preventive measures recommended by health authorities.

The project combined youth-led community outreach, sub-grants, professional training, radio and social media communication, school-based engagement, research and collaboration with public institutions and community stakeholders. It sought to improve public understanding of COVID-19 and encourage people to observe preventive measures, including handwashing, mask use, physical distancing, avoiding large gatherings and seeking testing when necessary.

A central feature was the mobilisation of young people as community communicators. CITAD trained 120 young people online and selected participants with promising mini-proposals for sub-grants to implement locally designed awareness activities. The project also used established media channels and community structures to reach groups that might not be adequately served by online information alone.

Project Purpose and Strategic Focus

The project focused on the following areas:

• Strengthening public awareness of COVID-19, including symptoms, transmission, prevention and available response measures.
• Building the capacity of young people and community champions to communicate accurate health information and conduct local sensitisation.
• Extending outreach to diverse and underserved groups, including women and adolescent girls, students, persons with disabilities, older people, rural communities and Fulani communities.
• Using radio, social media, video, poetry and local-language communication to counter misinformation and make public-health messages accessible.
• Engaging teachers, religious and traditional leaders, community organisations and public institutions to encourage adherence to preventive protocols.
• Generating evidence on compliance with COVID-19 protocols in secondary schools to inform advocacy and institutional action.

Major Interventions and Achievements:

Youth training and community sub-grants

Between 17 and 26 July 2020, CITAD trained 120 young people online on COVID-19 preventive measures and community awareness techniques. Three experts were engaged to develop and deliver the training modules, and participants received data allowances. Following the training, participants submitted mini-proposals, and 45 promising proposals were selected for sub-grants.

Sub-grantees implemented door-to-door campaigns, town-hall meetings, school and market sensitisation, mosque and church outreach, public-address announcements, social media campaigns, and engagement with traditional and religious leaders. Several trained local volunteers who then cascaded information to other residents. Activities targeted women and adolescent girls, young people, students, teachers, persons with disabilities, older people, business operators, worshippers and rural or marginalised communities. Some sub-grantees also produced or distributed hand sanitisers, handwashing materials and face masks.

Training for teachers

CITAD partnered with the Kano State Senior Secondary Schools Management Board and the Kano State Science and Technical Schools Management Board to train 250 teachers in October 2020. The training covered COVID-19, preventive measures and ways to protect children as schools resumed. Sessions were delivered in batches to support physical distancing, and participants were expected to share the knowledge with students and fellow teachers.

Radio programming and public communication

The project supported interactive Hausa-language radio programmes on Vision FM and Express Radio. The report records 52 episodes, with health professionals, pharmacists, activists, government officials and academics invited to discuss symptoms, prevention, isolation, testing, social distancing, face-mask use, palliatives and staying productive during lockdown. A listenership survey was also conducted to assess public understanding and compliance.

CITAD supported weekly social media Twitter Chats on Tuesdays and Thursdays under #CITADagainstCovid19 and documented the discussions for wider public access. The narrative reports 55 Twitter Chats, with the activity continuing beyond the funding period.

CITAD Online Radio and digital content

CITAD established an online radio service to provide further COVID-19 information and host expert discussions. Four volunteers were recruited to support station operations. The project also sponsored four short video messages in Hausa, English and sign-language formats to broaden access to public-health information.

Creative communication and community engagement

In partnership with the All Poets Network (APNET), CITAD supported a poetry competition and publication of Corona Blues, a bilingual Hausa-English anthology of selected COVID-19 poems. The report records the production and dissemination of 1,000 copies. Additional grassroots activities included a sensitisation campaign at Shara Primary School in Takai LGA, where teachers and students received information and protective materials. Messages were also translated into Hausa and distributed to community members.

Research on school compliance

CITAD conducted a study on adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures in selected secondary schools in Kano State. Twelve research assistants spent two days collecting information from 60 schools across the state’s three zones. The research was designed to assess compliance with state government and NCDC protocols, identify implementation gaps and generate evidence for advocacy with relevant authorities.

Reported Results and Reach

Principal outputs and results:

Progress, Lessons and Implementation Value

CITAD reported progress in expanding public access to COVID-19 information through multiple communication channels and mobilising trained youth as community-level advocates. The sub-grants enabled participants to apply their learning through locally designed activities, while partnerships with education authorities created an avenue for reaching teachers and, indirectly, students.

The project demonstrated the value of combining mass communication with direct engagement. Radio, social media and video content helped disseminate information, while household visits, school sessions, religious gatherings, town halls and public-address campaigns enabled direct interaction. Hausa translation and sign-language formats helped address language and accessibility barriers.

Lessons learned

• Young people can serve as effective community communicators when they receive relevant training, support and opportunities to implement their own initiatives.
• Accurate, understandable information can help address misinformation and encourage people to follow public-health guidance.
• Online training can be a practical capacity-building approach when participants have the connectivity and data support needed.
• Competitive sub-granting can create opportunities for trained participants to apply their skills and develop community-led responses.
• A mix of digital, broadcast and face-to-face communication is important for reaching audiences with different levels of access to technology and media.
• Working through trusted local structures—including teachers, religious and traditional leaders, community groups and volunteers—can strengthen community acceptance and message dissemination.

Sustainability and Continuing Value

The proejct identifies activities that continued beyond the immediate funding period, including the #CITADagainstCovid19 Twitter Chats. It also records the establishment of CITAD Online Radio and the development of communication resources such as the Corona Blues anthology and video messages. These outputs created channels and materials that could support continued public education.

The experience and networks developed through youth training, sub-grants, school engagement, radio programming and community partnerships also provide a foundation for future public-health communication and community mobilisation initiatives.

Conclusion

The X-Grants-supported initiative enabled CITAD to implement a multi-channel COVID-19 awareness campaign across Kano State. By combining youth capacity building and community sub-grants with teacher training, radio and social media programming, accessible communication materials, creative engagement and school-based research, the project sought to improve public understanding and encourage adherence to preventive measures. The reported outputs demonstrate the breadth of implementation and the importance of locally grounded, inclusive communication during a public-health emergency.