From November 1-3, 2023, the Republic of Senegal hosted international training in Dakar delivered through the PanAfGeo project on the theme “Communication, Dissemination and Dialogue in Geosciences”.
This training, under the patronage of H.E. Mr. Oumar SARR, Minister of Mines and Geology of the Republic of Senegal, was co-organised by the National Geological Survey of Senegal (SGNS), EGS, OAGS, the Geological Survey of France (BRGM) and the Council for Geoscience of South Africa (CGS).
The training, delivered in French, gave twenty geoscientists from 12 geological surveys* in French-speaking Africa the opportunity to familiarise themselves with different techniques in communication, dissemination and dialogue. The Geological Surveys acquire and manage geoscientific data to serve as decision-making support for states on numerous societal issues, such as the supply of mineral resources and water, or the understanding and mitigation of natural hazards. In order to do this, scientists must be able to communicate their knowledge to different audiences, whether decision-makers or other citizen.
The training was structured around theoretical sessions describing the major concepts of communication (oral, written, media, social media, targeted audiences, graphic charter, etc.). Interactive scenarios of practical cases promoted discussion between participants, and focused on several geoscientific themes that participants may be confronted with in their work situations (e.g. marine submersion, mining rush, earthquake, mining inventory). During these practical workshops, public information meetings were simulated to learn how to communicate to a large audience; as well as modelling crisis management meetings and press conferences, as well as public meetings with decision-makers to argue for the funding of projects.
The session was moderated by Mrs. Fatoumata DRAMÉ (SGNS), Ms. Agnès NOËL (BRGM), Dr. Nicolas CHARLES (BRGM), Mr. Krishnan SUBRAMANI (EGS), Ms. Céline ANDIREN (EGS) and Mr. Daniel SÁNCHEZ (EGS). Following the classroom training, an excursion was organised to the island of Gorée to meet the Gorée Institute, which supports for the island’s cultural activities. This was an opportunity for participants to witness their activities and, specifically, how they use communication and dialogue in working with citizens and stakeholders.
The pictures from the training session are available here.
Choose the respective language to access the press release: French (PDF) ; English (PDF).
