Radio Ada is located in Ada in the Dangme East District, southeastern Ghana and broadcasts to four Dangme-speaking districts which cover a population of approximately 600,000 people of whom 60% are non-literate. The radio staff is comprised of approximately 50 full-time and part-time volunteers, all of whom come from the four Dangme districts.
According to Radio Ada, their approach to broadcasting is participatory and grounded in the needs and identities of the Dangme-speaking audience. The station's programmes are developed and produced with the active participation of people in the respective communities. Radio Ada also uses a broadcasting technique called "narrowcasting" to reach the different occupation-based groups within the four Dangme Districts. The occupation-based groups are comprised of farmers, fishermen, fishmongers who are exclusively women, breadmakers, taxi drivers, and tailors. Each week, a 30-minute radio programme is recorded with the specific occupation-based group and then re-broadcast later in the week. These groups determine the content of their own programmes and act as co-producers. For example, Radio Ada has created opportunities for voice and dialogue amongst fishermen and women fishmongers. The fishmonger programme producer would visit a different fishing community each week, gather together the fishmongers from that community to ask them questions about their fish smoking work, and facilitate a discussion on issues of importance to them. A 30-minute version of the discussion is later broadcast on Radio Ada. The fishmongers are therefore communicating with the men in their community, and men from all communities are listening to the women over the airwaves.
In a bid to involve and ensure a community voice in its operations, Radio Ada has trained about 500 people in various broadcast skills, which include programme recording, producing and delivering the news, marketing, music programming, and programming on conflict prevention.
As part of its programming, Radio Ada also tackled the poor treatment of physically challenged people through the "Advocacy through Radio" project. This was an initiative financed by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), which, according to organisers, contributed significantly to changing attitudes towards the disabled in the communities.
The station also plays a role in conflict resolution in the community. The station gives the community the space and opportunity to talk about burning issues that create conflict and to resolve their problems peacefully. For example, Radio Ada has resolved conflicts over cultural issues between churches and traditional worshippers in the district.
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