In 2006 I was invited to spend six weeks in Addis Ababa, on a BBC World Service Trust training initiative for staff at Radio Ethiopia. The impact of this knowledge transfer project had an enormous influence my ongoing radio studies. 

The project focused on the creation of educational radio campaigns designed to promote sexual health and reproduction awareness – and drew extensively on my past experiences as a Creative Director and commercial producer. The experience became the focus of my Masters dissertation on development radio. I have since spoken at several conferences on the subject and contributed a chapter titled Creating Health Related Radio Messages in Ethiopia for the Communication Journal of New Zealand, Volume 11, July 2010.

This work went on to inspire an extensive journey across Africa in 2010 in partnership with Birmingham City University’s International Department. I combined appointments with recruitment agents to meet potential applicants, alongside visits to student radio, community radio and state broadcasters in South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and Nigeria.

Edited interviews from this research have been made available on the website “Radio For Development” (R4D) which I created and have been maintaining since 2007. This site and its associated YouTube channel focuses on radio as an educational tool across Africa.

Between 2008 – 2009 I was a Research Fellow for an AHRC funded Knowledge Transfer Fellowship project headed by Prof Tim Wall at Birmingham City University, which included working as a media trainer for the charity CARE International. Part of this involvement included work on an audio-slideshow that focused on their work in Rawanda. 

The following audio-slideshows (recorded in June / July 2010) were produced as part of an ongoing research project into the use of radio as a development tool. The interviews aim to highlight the important educational work carried out by various community and state radio broadcasters across Africa.

For more information about radio for development, visit; R4D

Pamoja Radio99.9 FM is a community radio station formed in 2007 to empower youth of Kibera and its surrounding area through education and information. In this clip, station founder and manager Adam Hussein, along with key staff, talk about the goals of Pamoja, the support of USAID and it's training policies.

In this clip, Professor Ralph Akinfeleye from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, dicusses student station Unilag 103.1 FM, their Mass Communication course, and the role of Government in the evolution of Nigerian Broadcasting.

Prof. Franz Krüger talks about "VOW Radio 90.5" (Voice of Wits) - the campus radio station for the University of the Witwatersrand, located in central Johannesburg, in the heart of Braamfontein. Krüger is the director of the Wits Radio Academy, the centre for learning, research and public engagement around radio based in the University's journalism programme.

Elizabeth Njoroge, host of Smooth Classics on Kenya's Capital Radio, discusses her radio show and she interacts with her audience. Her regular programme on the station is the country's only specialist classical music show - and it is rapidly gaining popularity - especially with younger listeners.

This interview was recorded in July 2010 with Austeen Elewodalu, Assistant Director of News at "Voice of Nigeria" (VON) - which is the official international broadcasting station of Nigeria. Founded in 1961, the Voice of Nigeria began life as the External Service of the then Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (now Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria).

The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) is Nigeria's publicly-funded radio broadcaster. Their subsidiaries include the Voice of Nigeria international service and the Radio Nigeria domestic network. In this clip, Philips Robinson Adefioye takes you on a tour of Radio Nigeria and Voice of Nigeria in Lagos, introducing staff behind the scenes and discussing various aspects of the FRCN operation.

In this video Moshongwa Matsena, Senior Editor, Current Affairs - and Mamolefe Segakweng, Marketing and Communications Manager - from Channel Africa - discuss the problems and benefits of working for the station. Channel Africa is a station described as an "external service" of the South African Broadcasting Corporation.

Funke-Treasure Durodola is a radio presenter at Metro FM, Lagos, Nigeria. In this clip she discusses the diversity of Nigerian radio, gender equality in presenting staff, training issues and the enduring popularity of radio in everyday life - amongst other things. Metro 97.6 FM Lagos