Developing effective communication about a global pandemic in a multilingual space: Language choice and language use in COVID-19 campaigns in Ghana

This project aims to improve communication about COVID-19 in a multilingual African context. In Ghana, most COVID-19 information is communicated in English, which may restrict comprehension and efficacy. Focusing on language and using quantitative and qualitive analyses, the project evaluates the effectiveness of COVID-19 campaigns in two communities in Accra with low literacy - one monolingual, traditional and non-mobile, the other multilingual, containing female migrants from Northern Ghana. In focus groups and interviews, community members discuss their knowledge and beliefs about COVID-19 and their sources of information. This informs the development of alternative COVID-19 health promotional materials that take the linguistic and cultural characteristics of the communities into account. Their impact will be assessed in further focus groups. Findings will be presented at a workshop with stakeholders from local authorities and the Health Ministry, as well as teachers and religious leaders. A policy brief will be produced following the workshop.