Newsletter

3rd Quarter of the year: Empowering people and uniting voices

September 28, 2026

As we come to the end of the third quarter, it is a good time to reflect on what we have achieved and look ahead to what comes next. We have shared many stories, from meaningful conversations to working together on new projects. Throughout the year, we have seen how communication brings people together, highlights different perspectives, and helps tell stories that show Africa’s creativity, strengths and common goals.

Throughout July, August, and September, vibrant people-centred storytelling brought local voices to the forefront, sparking meaningful conversations about identity, innovation, and social change. By championing well-being, nurturing resilience, and forging regional partnerships, these initiatives wove grassroots experiences into a tapestry of cross-border influence.

Looking Back at Quarter Three: Reflections  

 

 

HIGHLIGHTS

Our Campaigns

 

#GroundedInPeople – July Campaign

In July, the #GroundedInPeople campaign shone a light on the vibrant voices, talents and daily actions that are weaving Africa’s unfolding story. Throughout the month, we uncovered the power of language to shape identity, the role of trust in building bridges, and the magic of collaboration in opening doors for communities. We celebrated the creativity, resilience, and ambition of young people, recognising that nurturing skills and championing innovation are the keys to unlocking Africa’s promise and creating a future where everyone belongs.

Our storytelling also honoured the women whose leadership, courage, and influence continue to transform societies across Africa and the global African diaspora. From boardrooms and classrooms to grassroots organisations and creative spaces, we explored the many ways women are driving progress, shattering barriers, and inspiring generations to come. These stories came together to honour individuals whose unwavering commitment and determination are propelling communities and the continent into a brighter future.

This month’s conversations also captured the electrifying spirit of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Africa once again proved it belongs among football’s giants. Morocco, Egypt, Senegal, Ghana, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Algeria, South Africa, and Côte d’Ivoire lit up the tournament with bold play and unforgettable upsets. Spain triumphed over Argentina to claim the World Cup trophy for the second time in their history. 

You can explore some of these reflections and stories from the #GroundedInPeople campaign through the highlights below:  

#YouthShapingTomorrow  – August Campaign

Throughout August, #YouthShapingTomorrow shone a light on the young Africans whose ideas, creativity and ambition are already shaping the continent’s future. Young people across Africa are not waiting for a seat at the table; instead, they are creating new spaces where their voices, stories, and innovations can thrive. In Kenya, for example, Gen Zs are utilising digital platforms, art, technology, and entrepreneurship to share their own narratives, build communities, and find solutions to everyday challenges. They are creating opportunities, shaping conversations, and reimagining what the future can hold.

During the month, we explored conversations about identity, representation, communication, creativity, and digital culture. We shared stories that challenge familiar narratives and celebrate a generation that is not only imagining tomorrow but also actively building it today.

#VoicesThatCrossBorders – September Campaign

Throughout September, #VoicesThatCrossBorders explored how language, literacy, participation, accessibility, translation and cultural exchange shape how people connect with one another and understand the world around them. In a time when conversations move faster than ever, communication remains one of our most powerful tools for building understanding, belonging and connection. Throughout the month, we spotlighted voices that cross boundaries, from the power of literacy and the importance of participation to sign language, translation and the stories that travel through tourism and cultural exchange.

Client Work

World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026

The annual event is organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in collaboration with UNESCO, UNDP, and other United Nations agencies. In 2026, the event was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from July 6 to 10. The Forum brought together policymakers, regulators, academics, civil society representatives, and private-sector leaders to advance inclusive digital transformation through strategies and partnerships. Its primary objective is to foster collaboration and facilitate knowledge sharing so that digital technologies contribute to sustainable development globally. 

Explore more: 

 

iPRIS 9th Cohort: Towards Lasting Regulatory Shifts

From 6th to 23rd September 2026, telecommunications regulators from Cameroon, Chad, Senegal, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritania, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo gathered in Luxembourg for the ninth cohort of the ICT Policy and Regulation – Institutional Strengthening (iPRIS) project. The three-week exchange brought regulators together with African regional regulatory organisations and European counterparts to explore practical challenges around competition, consumer protection, spectrum management, resilience and expanding affordable and reliable connectivity.

Regulators also developed initiatives aligned with priorities in their own telecommunications markets, including national roaming, fibre deployment, quality of service, competition frameworks, and the implementation of national broadband strategies. As the third Francophone cohort, the session strengthened peer learning across different regulatory contexts, with regulators now taking their initiatives back to their institutions for implementation ahead of the next session in Africa in early 2027.

Team Activities

Show Up Communications Team Building

Our team-building day at Bao Box brought everyone together for a fun and memorable experience, with a clear youth connection throughout. We started with a great lunch, which set us up for an afternoon of laughter, friendly games, and shared memories. Team members joined the Kenya at Fifty game, tried their hand at darts and enjoyed a cake that reminded us of our strong team spirit. Each activity helped us work together, enjoy each other’s company, and take a break from the usual work routine.

​As the evening went on, we enjoyed good conversations, drinks and a relaxed setting where we got to know each other better outside of work. Football fans stayed late to watch the exciting France vs Spain FIFA World Cup match at 10:00 p.m., cheering together for every big moment. This event was more than just team-building; it was a celebration of our unity, friendships, and the youthful energy that brought us closer as a team.

United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) Team Visit

On 20th August, the SUC team visited the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), a chance to see global teamwork, inclusion, and sustainability beyond the usual meeting rooms. From the 195 national flags to easy-to-use spaces, multilingual communication, and teamwork among different UN groups, the visit showed how different voices can come together around common global goals. Braille signs, solar panels, and green areas also showed how inclusion, accessibility, and sustainability can be part of everyday places rather than just talked about.

The experience also made us rethink what good communication really means. As communicators, we learned that meaningful communication is more than just sharing information; it is about making difficult ideas easy to understand, creating welcoming experiences, and helping people relate to the stories we share. Our time at UNON gave us important lessons on how to communicate with more meaning, bring together different viewpoints, and turn global talks into experiences that people can understand, remember, and take part in.

 

Explore some of these reflection stories and interviews from the #YouthShapingTomorrow campaign through the highlights below: 

Mission IMPACT

Introducing Show Up: Beyond the Headlines

This quarter, we launched Show Up: Beyond the Headlines, our interview-style podcast hosted by Nancy Onyango, Founder and CEO of Show Up Communications. Available on Spotify and YouTube, the podcast creates space for conversations with thought leaders, industry experts, innovators and changemakers, going beyond the headlines to explore the ideas, experiences and perspectives behind issues shaping Africa and the wider world.

We opened the series with Nancy introducing the thinking behind Show Up: Beyond the Headlines and the conversations we hope to create through the platform. Our first guest conversation featured Bradley Howland and Irene Lungu Chipili, Co-Chairs of the Africa Declaration Initiative, exploring the Africa Declaration on Ethical Principles and Standards for the Practice of Public Relations and Communication and what stronger ethics, professional standards and collaboration could mean for the communications profession across different African contexts.

From strategic communications and storytelling to leadership, technology, policy and social change, upcoming episodes will continue to bring different voices and experiences into conversations about what is changing, why it matters, what we can learn and what comes next.

Stay tuned for more episodes and conversations from Show Up: Beyond the Headlines:

Stories and Conversations Worth Sitting With This Quarter

From young people navigating digital spaces to questions of trust, inclusion and the growing influence of AI, these are some of the stories, research and conversations that caught our attention this quarter:

  • Young people are navigating a digital world increasingly shaped by AI – In Tanzania, young people are exploring media and information literacy, critical thinking and responsible participation as AI and digital platforms become a bigger part of how they learn, communicate and create. Read more >
  • What does Africa’s digital rights landscape look like today? – Paradigm Initiative’s latest Londa report looks across 29 African countries at issues including internet access, privacy, freedom of expression, AI and emerging technologies, children’s online safety and the inclusion of women, young people and underserved communities. Read more >
  • South Africa’s digital creators are becoming an important part of the information ecosystem – New UNESCO research looks behind the screens at the experiences of digital content creators in South Africa, including their influence, ethical practices, media and information literacy skills and the challenges they face. Read more >
  • As AI changes the information landscape, trust is becoming an even bigger question – Africa Check looks ahead to the 2026 Africa Facts Summit and the growing challenges posed by AI, misinformation, digital fraud and declining trust in information, as well as the work being done across Africa to strengthen information integrity. Read more >  
  • Building digital futures also means thinking about rights and inclusion – The 2026 Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum report brings together conversations on digital policy, privacy, affordable internet, women’s access to digital tools and how different voices can participate in shaping technology and digital governance. Read more >

On Our Bookshelf: Americanah

Imagine leaving the place you have always called home and arriving in a country where suddenly, the way you speak, wear your hair, understand race, and even see yourself takes on a different meaning. Then imagine returning home years later and discovering that you have changed too.

This is the world Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie draws us into in Americanah. The novel follows Ifemelu, a young Nigerian woman who moves to the United States, and Obinze, her first love, whose own journey takes him to the United Kingdom before returning to Nigeria. Their lives take different directions, but their relationship remains woven through a story about migration, race, identity, love and what it means to find your place in the world.

Part of what makes Americanah such an engaging read is Adichie’s ability to take complex subjects and bring them to life through ordinary human experiences. There is humour, love, discomfort, observation and contradiction throughout the story. Along the way, the novel also makes us think about communication in its many forms: how language and culture influence the way we understand one another, how stories shape perceptions of people and places, and how our own experiences influence the stories we tell. 

More than a decade after its publication, the questions at the heart of Americanah remain relevant. It is a story about migration and race, certainly, but also about identity, love, belonging, culture, home and the complicated experience of becoming someone slightly different as you move through the world. It is thoughtful, deeply human, and the kind of story that stays with you long after you turn the final page.     

Book review by Kimberly Lisa Osemo

What’s Next in Q4?

As we move into the final quarter of 2026, we look forward to more stories, conversations and opportunities to connect. From October to December, our #AfricaAndAI campaign will explore artificial intelligence alongside digital skills, media and information literacy, innovation, communication and inclusion. We will also continue conversations through Show Up: Beyond the Headlines, bringing together different voices and perspectives on issues shaping Africa and the wider world.

Mark Your Calendars:

Follow Us

Thank You for Engaging. As we enter the final quarter of 2026, we look forward to more conversations, stories and opportunities to connect. Follow Show Up Communications for more on strategic communications, PR, storytelling and the conversations shaping Africa and the wider world.

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