Unpacking the Intersections in Public Sector, Policy and Political Communications

This month, we are focusing on Public Sector, Policy and Political Communications and the purpose of this article is to provide the foundation for some of the conversations that we would be following through with on this page and other platforms in coming weeks.

Public Sector Communications

In a previous LinkedIn article Sola Abulu (SCMP®) had described public sector communications as the field of practise that encompasses the way government agencies, public institutions, and organizations communicate with citizens, the public and other stakeholders n the conduct of their statutory duties as custodians of public assets, providers of public services, regulators of public conduct and custodians of law and order.

The OECD defines government or public communication as a vital government tool to connect with citizens and make policy-making more responsive to their needs, thereby reinforcing trust in public institutions.

The terms government communication or public communication or public sector communications to mean the same thing – the way in which government agencies and institutions or national governments communicate with the citizens of the country that they are accountable to or represent or serve.

Generally speaking – you find that the philosophy of government is what drives its attitude to and style of communication. In a system that believes that government exists to serve the people, there would be more attention to enabling and supporting a structured, responsive and inclusive approach to communication. Whereas if the prevailing mindset is that government exists to exert power and control over the citizens or to serve its own interests – then the approach to communication is likely to be more confrontational, defensive, self-serving, manipulative and extremely hostile to opposing views or independent opinion.

Policy Communications

According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), policy communication involves effectively communicating public policy information to various audiences, including the public, stakeholders, and policymakers, to influence decision-making and promote understanding. It encompasses strategies for sharing information about policy development, implementation, and evaluation, aiming to build support and drive action. Policy communications is typically required by policy-making agencies in government who need to push through new policies with a significant amount of consultation; earn public or stakeholder trust and support and ensure effective and efficient implementation as required.

Policy communications help to ease the process of development, review, approval and legalization of public policy. It also helps to carry everyone around. If the communications around a policy is inadequate or dis-jointed, it is likely to get some level of resistance and may also not achieve the desired objective even after being signed into law. A recent example of the impact of poor policy communications was in the Kenya finance bill crisis which led to significant unrest in the country in 2024. The communication and engagement around the bill was inadequate as it focused on the law makers and did not factor or integrate citizen opinions into the communications and engagement process. It also did not have a citizen-centred communications and engagement strategy.

Political Communications

According to The European Consortium for political research (ECPR). defines political communications deals with the way (political) information is communicated to the electorate, how media cover parties and politicians, the way issues in the media affect politics, how political actors communicate with each other, and interpersonal communication on political topics.

. Political leaders drive and shape the language, tone and messaging of political communications and by so doing set the direction that public sector communicators take in that regard. The public sector is most vulnerable in this regard because they are the administrative and public service arm of government.

Citizen-centric Vs Power-centric Communications in Public Sector & Politics

If the government in power is more citizen-centred, there is likely to be a more inclusive and problem-solving approach to governance, citizen engagement and communications as a result. But if the government of the day is more focused on scoring points, consolidating power base, challenging the opposition at every turn, or retaining power at all costs – then that would reflect in their communications strategy as well. This poses a unique problem for the field and practise of communications and the wellbeing of society as a whole.

Case for A Different Approach

At Sola Abulu & Associates (SA&A) we believe in an ethical, sustainable and impactful approach to communication. One that enables the achievement of set objectives without being harmful to the interests of the majority to serve the interest of the minority. We believe that communications should balance long-term interest with short term deliverables and not sacrifice one for the purposes of the other.

We recognize that the public sector is different from the private sector. We understand that there are considerations for national security, peace and stability that neccessitate a different and nuanced approach to communication. But we do not believe that the end justifies the means.

The following are some of our recommendations for communicators working in the public sector, public policy and political communications space

Guidance for Public Sector Leaders, Spokespersons and Communicators

1. Try and stay away from the politics of the dayas much as possible. Remember you have a job to do – which is to serve the people. As much as lies with you – do your best to communicate in a way that not only paints the government in a good light but also serves the information and service needs of the people based on your statutory provisions.
2. Never forget that the citizens are your stakeholders and while political leaders and administrations come and go, citizens remain and they will always remember the good and bad things that you did while leading or working for a particular public sector agency. In Nigeria today – the electricity distribution companies are still being villified for the bad reputation of the defunct public utility company NEPA – which was seen as inefficient, corrupt and very anti-people. That reputation has been transferred to all the companies who now manage those assets and none of them is making an effort to change or differentiate itself in terms of public engagement or trust. And unfortunately, the government is no longer providing the aerial cover for them as it did for the defunct NEPA.
3. Do not forget that you are a public servant first and foremost. Confusing your role as a public servant with that of a political attacker for the government of the day is a costly mistake for public office holders and also for the governments/agencies they represent. We have examples of this in Lagos State (in Nigeria)where a few senior government officials are constantly engaging in media warfare with netizens on twitter in a tone that often gets very personal and is unbefitting of the office. Fortunately, this is not everyone but in the places where it exists – it leaves a bad taste in the mouth – especially when it occurs consistently.
4. Respond in a constructive manner– if you are faced with a situation where you think that some antagonists are deliberating trying to misinform the public about your achievements, you can respond to that by providing context, clarification with evidence to balance the conversation. Resorting to abusive, derogatory responses or personal attacks does not paint you or the government in a good light. Even if you are cheered on by your supporters for responding in this way – please note that it does not win you any brownie points with those observing in the sidelines.
5. Be more proactive in your approach to communications – Generally speaking it appears that the Nigerian public sector is more reactive than proactive in their communication. We hear of them mostly when responding to social media conversation or a negative report about their services or activities. There is no ongoing strategic plan for communications, engagement or interaction with the citizens on a daily basis other than to open a social media account and occasionally post about events and activities attended by their senior government officials and political leaders of the day. The approach to communications is power-centric and not citizen-centred. It therefore comes as a big surprise to such establishments – when citizens suddenly aggregate on an issue with negative sentiment with many voices speaking at the same time. Contrary to what some may believe, it is not necessarily sponsored. The distrust with governmentis so high that literally anything can spike a wave of negative sentiment against such institutions.

Guidance for Political Communicators

The guidance above also applies to this group but with some specific nuances

1. Resist the urge to use public service administrative services as a tool to score political points at the expense of the people. This is likely to sow a very bad seed for the future. While it may work in the short term but in the long term may cause significant back-lash for future political candidates, the party you represent and the political agenda that you are paid to support.
2. Try not to run your campaign or communication strategy by propaganda and misinformation.It will backfire and your principal will pay dearly for it now or in the future. While it may seem like you are getting away with it now, the advances being made in technology and the overall restiveness in unrepresented segments of society indicates that it will be increasingly harder to get away with running a political communications strategy or campaign based on falsehoods and lies.
3. Manage reputation and not headlines. Consider helping your candidate or principal to look good by advising them to deliver tangible actions that can be communicated about in a credible manner. Reputation = Performance + Behaviour + Communications

Develop a communications strategy that focuses on amplifying performance gains and deliverables – showcases the heart of the leader through actions of empathy and consideration for the people and then communicate about it. One major thing that Nigerian political leaders lack is EMPATHY and they cannot even fake it!! This alone makes them really unlikeable in the real sense of things.

Also consider the KNOW, FEEL and DO in your messaging. Citizens may not always remember what the political leaders DID or the specific actions they took. But we will never forget how they made us FEEL. Did we FEEL heard, seen, listened to, respected, valued, considered? Why is this so hard for political leaders and political communicators to develop a strategy around this??? This should be political communications 101. Feelings are important. Political communications is about managing public narrative and sentiment and also amplifying performance with credible and verifiable proof-points to build reputation and trust in the government of the day.

Guidance for Public Policy Communicators

Guidance for public sector communications also applies including the following:

1. Stay away from the politics of the day. Do your job. A good example of someone who has done this very well in the policy space is the Chairman, Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms. Public & Social Services. His use of social media, traditional media and intensity of communication around the ongoing tax reforms is commendable. Please check out his pages. (And to a large extent – he has been successful because the Bills have been passed in Parliament without any issue. A lot of the initial dissent around the reforms has died down. Significant amendments were made in the version that was initially passed and this may have contributed to what is now its acceptance. And he was not abusive or derogatory or contentious in the process. Just old-fashioned good eitquette communications and stakeholder engagement).
2. Be proactive in your communications and engagement. Do not play politics with your communications or the policy-development and implementation process. Leave that to the politicians and their spokespersons.
3. Use explainer content and visual communications to reach identified audiences. Be intensive and immersive in your communications. Engage broadly and widely, Break down the messaging per audience segment. Use the full spectrum of PESO model (paid, earned, shared and owned media) to inform, persuade, guide the public on what to expect from the policy. Use as many platforms as necessary to get the message across to different audience and stakeholder segments.
4. Be ethical in your approach to policy communication. Do not conceal information from the public just to get the policy passed without controversy. Highlight likely areas of concern to the audiences and stakeholders or citizens most likely to be impacted. Provide content, clarification about the intent of the policy. Involve the people. Learn from the mistakes made in the Kenya finance bill situation in 2024 last year. Trust once squandered is not easily regained.

Sola Abulu & Associates (SA&A) is a strategy and communications training and consulting firm focused on enabling businesses, brands and institutions to achieve their desired objectives through strategic communication, organizational effectiveness and reputation risk management. Contact us on consulting@solaabuluassociates.com for consulting enquiries. Contact us on training@solaabuluassociates.com for training enquiries. Visit our website www.solaabuluassociates.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel Enrol for our play-on-demand course on public sector, policy and political communications.