Last week, I had the incredible honour of serving as the Lead Facilitator at the 5-Day Training on Knowledge Management, Communication, and Project Visibility for the SAPZ Project’s Knowledge Management and Communication (KMC) team. It was more than just another training; it was a deeply fulfilling experience — both professionally and personally.

What made it unique wasn’t just the curriculum or the flow of sessions, but the diverse audience that gathered in that room. For once, communication professionals weren’t preaching to the choir. We had non-comms colleagues from operations, field-level staff, and importantly, top management leaders, including the National Programme Coordinator and the National KMC.

It’s not every day you get to discuss the strategic importance of comms and KM with the very people who influence budgets, policy direction, and resource allocation. The last time I vividly remember having such an experience was in 2016, when Isu Media Limited trained the management team of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and developed their communication strategy.

I have long held the view that communication and knowledge management are not support functions — they are leadership and management functions. They drive narrative, shape perception, and provide the channels through which impact is shared and accountability demonstrated. Without them, even the most technically sound project risks becoming invisible.

Visibility isn’t vanity, but value

Facilitating sessions that connected visibility with branding, storytelling with data, and social media with strategy allowed me to see the spark in participants’ eyes. We weren’t just ticking off a training agenda. We were changing mindsets — about how knowledge is managed, how stakeholders are engaged, and how visibility isn’t vanity, but value.

One of the most fulfilling moments for me was when we discussed developing a communication strategy and the room was alive with practical ideas — not from communications officers alone, but from programme leads, M&E officers, and admin staff. That’s how you know that a culture shift is happening.

The hands-on sessions on infographics, podcasting, and AI tools reminded us that communication is evolving. We must evolve too.

I was also particularly encouraged by the management’s presence during the opening and their openness to positioning comms and KM more centrally within SAPZ operations. If we’re serious about making development results visible and accessible, then the allocation of resources to communications must match the ambition of the work being done.

The hands-on sessions on infographics, podcasting, and AI tools reminded us that communication is evolving. We must evolve too.

As I reflect on this training, I feel grateful. Grateful for the opportunity to teach, learn, and advocate — all at once. This wasn’t just a workshop. It was a rallying call to embed communication and knowledge management into the DNA of project implementation.

If we keep this momentum, I’m confident the SAPZ project will not just do good work, but will also be seen to be doing good work — consistently, strategically, and impactfully.

— Odoh Diego Okenyodo is a development communication specialist with over 26 years of continuous activity in the field.