Access Radio to Launch Weekly “On-Air Civic Education” Program

(YEI RIVER COUNTY) – Access Radio has announced plans to launch a weekly on-air civic education programme aimed at strengthening public awareness, citizen participation and accountable governance across the Greater Yei region.

According to a statement issued to the Access Radio Newsroom on Tuesday, the initiative will use community radio programming and public dialogue platforms to improve civic knowledge in Yei, Lainya, Morobo and Kajo-Keji counties.

The radio station says that despite ongoing governance and peacebuilding efforts in South Sudan, many citizens, particularly those in rural communities, women and young people, still have limited access to civic education and information about governance processes.

The project seeks to bridge that gap by providing a platform where communities can better understand their rights, responsibilities and opportunities for engagement with public institutions.

The weekly programme, which will air every Saturday for two hours, will feature civil society representatives, local government officials, policy experts, religious leaders, women, youth and persons with disabilities discussing governance and public affairs.

Alex Ato, a Senior Producer at Access Radio, said the initiative is designed to expand community media into a structured civic education and public participation platform that promotes informed citizenship and strengthens dialogue between communities and leaders.

“We are now approaching elections and we want the people to know what is happening and the leaders they will choose during elections. We introduced this project so that people can be informed on governance, especially those in the villages who need to understand what is happening in South Sudan,” Ato said.

Civil society leaders have welcomed the initiative, describing it as a timely intervention ahead of the country’s electoral process.

Modi Arkangelo, a leader of the Civil Society Forum in the Greater Yei region, said civic education through radio remains one of the most effective ways of reaching communities with important information.

“The transitional government is no more and currently we are under a caretaker government. The most important thing is that people at the grassroots need to be informed about these developments in the country. As civil society, it is important for us to have such forums to inform the public,” Arkangelo said.

He also appealed to development partners and donor agencies to support grassroots civic education initiatives led by civil society organisations and media outlets, saying such programmes help communities better understand governance and democratic processes.

Community radio continues to be one of the most accessible and trusted sources of information across South Sudan. Through its existing Citizen Parliament platform, Access Radio already provides a forum where citizens discuss governance issues and engage leaders on matters affecting their communities.

The new civic education programme is expected to build on that foundation by creating regular opportunities for public dialogue, civic learning and citizen engagement across the Greater Yei region.