Communication for development : lessons from Sub-Saharan Africa. Paper Presented at the Conference 'New Approaches to Research and Practice in Communication for Development and Social Change’ OHIO University Athens OH USA April 2-3 2010.

In this paper, I cast a glance at the general theories of development and then pose the question why and how development initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have failed to achieve the desired results. To answer this question, I set my context within the development experience in SSA then examine the manner in which power relations have been connected to the participation process. Drawing mainly from the notions of Michel Foucault, Paulo Freire and Amartya Sen, I subsequently discuss how power intervenes in the development context at the micro and macro levels making a case for equalized power relations in order to enhance participation. In the final part of the paper, I discuss dialogical communication and argue that the employment of communication tools can play a defining role in the concerted search for durable pro-poor strategies.