Event Description & Details
Overview
Following the 2026 International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, the African Society for Social and Behaviour Change (AS-SBC) convenes a focused 90-minute continental learning dialogue.
The value of this conversation lies not in recounting the proceedings, but in confronting the shifts, tensions, and unresolved questions the Summit exposed:
- What did Panama tell us about where the SBC field is heading?
- What does this mean for African knowledge systems, evidence, practice, institutions, and leadership?
- How can Africa move from simply being represented in global spaces to actively shaping the field’s agenda?
Join practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and community actors across the continent to interpret key signals from the Summit and define actionable, institutional priorities for Africa.
Event Details
- Date: Thursday, 3 September 2026
- Time: 17:00 – 18:30 EAT | 16:00 – 17:30 SAST | 15:00 – 16:30 WAT | 14:00 – 15:30 GMT
- Platform: Virtual Dialogue via Zoom
- Meeting ID:
884 9961 6975 - Passcode:
170489 - Direct Registration Link: https://lnkd.in/dpPu7m9A
- Language Access: Live Zoom translated captions available in English, French, and Portuguese, supported by multilingual chat moderation.
Core Thematic Tracks
Rather than answering generic questions, our panel will interrogate the Summit through four distinct African vantage points:
- Field-Building & Continental Positioning: Moving from fragmented projects to a recognized profession in Africa with its own standards, institutions, and global intellectual leadership.
- African Knowledge, Evidence & Epistemic Equity: Examining whose knowledge counts, addressing gaps in locally generated research, and moving beyond teaching external theory to theorizing and publishing African practice.
- Institutions, Systems & Localisation: Embedding SBC sustainably within public institutions and government systems rather than carrying it solely through projects, while redefining power dynamics with global partners.
- Frontline & Next-Generation Practice: Grounding insights in the realities of frontline implementation and creating real space, capability, and leadership pathways for emerging practitioners.
Programme & Featured Contributors
| Time (EAT) | Session & Focus Area | Featured Contributor |
| 17:00 – 17:06 | Welcome & Opening Remarks | Kenneth Mulondo General Secretary, AS-SBC |
| 17:06 – 17:24 | Keynote Reflection: What Did Panama Tell Us About Where SBC Is Heading? | Babafunke Fagbemi Executive Director, Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI); Co-Chair, 2026 International SBCC Summit |
| 17:24 – 18:02 | Moderated Panel Dialogue: What Does This Mean for Africa? | Session Moderator: Tegbar Adal Panellists: • Prof. Adebayo Fayoyin, Board Chair, AS-SBC (Field-Building & Continental Positioning) • Sara Jewett, Senior Lecturer & Coordinator, SBCC Division, University of the Witwatersrand (Knowledge, Evidence & Learning) • Massimiliano Sani, Global Lead, Social and Behaviour Change, UNICEF (Institutions, Systems & Investment) • Paul Odeke, AS-SBC Board & Secretariat (Frontline & SBC Practice) |
| 18:02 – 18:15 | Audience Reflections & Continental Poll | Interactive Q&A opened by AS-SBC Country Chapter representatives |
| 18:15 – 18:25 | From Panama to Practice (Closing Commitments) | Rapid-fire round where panellists commit to specific institutional priorities |
| 18:25 – 18:30 | AS-SBC Action Plan & Synthesis | Prof. Adebayo Fayoyin & the AS-SBC Secretariat |
Who Should Attend
- AS-SBC members and country chapters
- SBC practitioners, frontline communicators, researchers, and academics
- Government representatives, policymakers, and public health leaders
- Development partners, bilateral/multilateral agencies, and donors
- Civil society actors, community-based organisations, and youth/emerging practitioners