MEDIA DEVELOPMENT

Evaluation Report
Executive summary Uganda
Participation through citizen media: Strengthening
young people, journalists and bloggers in Uganda

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Background
The DW Akademie project is based in Uganda, a country that – particularly in its capital Kampala – enjoys a fairly vivid and diverse
media landscape. However, in rural areas, where 80 percent of thepopulation lives, media access is rather limited. Apart from information broadcasted nationwide by the public radio channel Uganda
Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), a large number of private media
provide information and give the population the opportunity to participate in public dialogue. This also includes well-researched andcritical reports, which shape public opinion. Particularly in rural areas radio is still by far the most important medium with more than90 percent coverage. Generally, the Ugandan population is able toexercise their right to freedom of expression enshrined in the 1995
constitution. However, observers have been emphasising a continuous deterioration of both freedom of expression and the media inconnection with President Yoweri Museveni and his government’saim to consolidate power. Furthermore, the right to freedom of expression enshrined in the constitution is being limited by a numberof national laws that, for instance, regulate admission requirements
for journalists and publishing opportunities. In addition, the introduction of new laws allows for far-reaching control of citizens’ digitalcommunication by the authorities.
More than three quarters of the Ugandan population are under 30years of age. Many youth long for information and a voice in society;however, they lack proper opportunities for participation. The project focuses on strengthening young people, journalists and bloggers whose rights are being particularly infringed or challenged.
The two action areas of the project are aligned to the strategic fields
of Participation in society, Qualification as well as Professionalismand economic viability of the media sector. At the outcome level themeasure pursues two objectives:
1. Young people aged between 13 and 24, particularly girls and women, make use of the various media offerings provided by local radio stations in order to inform themselves on relevant issues andto express themselves publicly.
2. Journalists and bloggers exercise their control function and, forthis purpose, utilize a competency centre for research and security purposes.
The project’s executing agencies include the Centre for Media Literacy and Community Development (CEMCOD), the Uganda Radio
Network (URN), the Hub for Investigative Media (HIM), the Media
Challenge Initiative (MCI), the Uganda Christian University, the Islamic University in Uganda and various citizen radio stations.
Cooperation partners include the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)
as well as Amnesty International (AI).
This external evaluation aims to constructively assess the impact
achieved by DW Akademie projects after three years of the first
funding phase (funding period: 2015 – 2018) and to make recommendations that may be integrated into the design of future projects.
The evaluation is based on the OECD/DAC criteria and uses a mix ofquantitative and qualitative methodologies including the analysis ofinternal data and project documents as well as interviews with target groups, executing agencies and cooperation partners in Uganda. For the DAC criteria a rating system with a 5-point scale is used:1) comprehensively fulfilled (dark green), 2) generally fulfilled (lightgreen), 3) partially fulfilled (yellow), 4) minimally fulfilled (orange)
and 5) not fulfilled at all (red).
In addition, for the first time in the Africa evaluations key questions
were asked, which explicitly focus on digital aspects of the projects.
In the evaluation of Uganda all digital questions were considered:
D1) Digital collaboration, D2) Digital relevance, D3) Digital security,
D4) Human Centered Design, D5) Digital scaling, D6) Digital range
and D7) Digital openness. For these digital questions, no assessment was required, but only a section in the report with an inventory
and, if appropriate, recommendations.

Conclusions of the project evaluation
The cooperation with citizen media has created diverse opportunities for the general population (particularly in rural areas, for women and youth) to participate in existing information flows and to articulate their own interests. Through citizen radios and the systemof citizen reporters, information is being exchanged and local news
dealing with interests and problems relevant for the respective
groups are being spread. The relevance of choosing this particular
population group is being underlined through the high motivationand initiatives shown in particular by young citizen media actors.
New information and communication technologies are of great
importance as young people are interested in these new forms ofcommunication (social media in particular) and are willing to utilize
these for their individual purposes. Strengthening social criticism
and the capacities of journalists and bloggers to hold those in power to account is highly relevant for freedom of expression and thecountry’s development overall. The measures in the field of investigative journalism are of relevance as they facilitate improved andconflict-sensitive reporting. Through promoting the use of specificdigital security tools and methodologies, the project has captured
a key digital challenge of the target group. Overall, the criterion
relevance is rated “comprehensively fulfilled”.
In order to assess the DAC criterion effectiveness the results logicof the project was analyzed according to the present strategy andthe results model including objective indicators. The aspiration level of the formulation of objectives is adequate and the objective
indicators mentioned in the proposal allow for an assessment ofthe effectiveness. Based on the indicators, the project has entered
its target corridor while some of the indicators’ target values havealready been met one year prior to the project phase’s completion.
With a high level of learning, flexibility and the ability to use lessons
learned to adapt the project’s strategy and make small changes, it
is highly likely that the measure will achieve the objective according to its indicators agreed upon in the proposal. The existenceof the local office positively influences the learning and steering
processes and the close exchange with the project partners as wellas the respective advisory services provided to these partners.
Overall, the criterion effectiveness is therefore rated “comprehensively fulfilled”.

The project and the executing agencies
make efficient use of the funds provided.
Measures are being effectively calculated;means of funding are being used efficiently
and transparently accounted for. Throughthe cooperation with other actors the project creates synergies. The intention of
the DW Akademie in Uganda to develop
its digital approaches by using the HumanCentred Design approach can be viewedvery positively. In doing so, DW Akademie
proves its high level of learning. Regarding the development of the citizen reporter systems the project has sought for andidentified cost-efficient and easy to manage reporting solutions. Overall, the criterion efficiency is therefore rated “comprehensively fulfilled”.
Regarding the impact achieved so far, tendencies are already becoming visible andareas where the project contributes to medium- and short-term impact have beenidentified. Furthermore, it is already becoming evident which impact is likely to beachieved in the long-term. When considering project objective 1, it becomes evident
that through the creation of participatory
empowerment opportunities the measure
has contributed to increased social participation of the population. This particularly
holds true for young people in the rural areas. Greater density of news and dialogue
opportunities in the intervention areas result in communities being better informedand able to contribute and discuss theirown issues and problems. Through the support of dedicated journalists, who advocate
critical and independent reporting and denounce grievances, they will be strengthened in the exercise of their own rights andas mediators for others (objective 2). In order to achieve the project’s objectives andintended impact, the potential of growing
digitalization is being harnessed. Addi-tionally, the project takes into account thatthe target groups increasingly use social
media to access information and interact
with peers. For this purpose, innovative
concepts were developed and new digitaltechnology and application opportunities
explored. In summary, the criterion impact
is rated “generally fulfilled”.
After only three years into the project
phase, strong ownership among the project’s executing agencies already exists.
However, due to the short time period an
overall assessment of the DAC criterion
sustainability is difficult, as measures andfinancing concepts have not yet been comprehensively institutionalized within theresponsible institutions. Through qualification measures the network of citizen reporters is continuously spreading and it offers the potential to become a “fast-selling”
success in the long-term. Various efforts
aim to institutionalize the measures andmake them financially independent. Within
this framework, radio station staff, for example, were trained in the field of financial
and structural sustainability. At the end of
the first three years of the project phase,the level of ownership by all the executing
agencies has been assessed very positively. In summary, in view of the fact that theevaluation took place at a relatively early
period of time, the criterion sustainability
is rated “generally fulfilled”.

DW Akademie

is Germany’s leading organization
for media development and Deutsche
Welle’s center of excellence foreducation and knowledge transfer.
As a strategic partner of Germany’sFederal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development westrengthen the universal humanrights of free expression, education,and access to information.

Contact

Dr. Jan Lublinski
Head Research and Evaluation
jan.lublinski@dw.com
53113 BonnGermany
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twitter@dw_akademie
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The project very actively pursues the process of donor harmonization and tries tocreate synergies. Diverse cooperation potentials and additional financing opportunities exist and are being accessed by theproject. Overall, the criterion coherence,complementarity and coordination is rated “comprehensively fulfilled”.

The objective of the external evaluation is to provide a constructive assessment of the project results. It does not necessarily align with theperspective and planning of DW Akademie. Nevertheless, all findings were discussed in order to allow lessons learned to be incorporated into
the development of future strategies.