DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION AND PERFORMANCE IN THE PROJECTS OF LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES: THE CASE OF THE REGIONAL SUPPORT PROJECT FOR PASTORALISM IN THE SAHEL (PRAPS) IN NIGER

Abstract

In West Africa, pastoral systems provide more than 80% of income to rural households and are a vital food source for urban populations. The six Sahelian countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal) have around 20 million pastoralists who raise a population of 60 million cattle and 160 million small ruminants. However, projects in pastoral systems sometimes experience communication-related failures. Development communication is very important within the Regional Support Project for Pastoralism in the Sahel (PRAPS). Still, it must be recognized that some of the objectives are not achieved because of certain factors related to communication which are not taken into account. This state of affairs raises a question: How can the objectives set by PRAPS be achieved with an efficient communication?   The approach used here is inductive, and the research is conducted through qualitative interviews carried out with focus groups. Data is collected using a digital recorder, then, the data is hand-transcribed and analyzed. The results show not only that development communication has effects on project results, but also that development communication has effects on the performance of projects of the Regional Support Project for Pastoralism in the Sahel (PRAPS). It is recommended that project supervisors should put an emphasis on an effective development communication in order to achieve the objectives of the Regional Support Project for Pastoralism in the Sahel (PRAPS).