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Tenders are invited for Sustainability Study for Radio Ndarason in Chad and Nigeria Closing Date: 22 May 2026 Type: Consultancy Radio Ndarason Internationale Radio Ndarason International (RNI) is a regional radio network based in the Lake Chad Basin (LCB) area. With production and broadcast facilities in Chad and Nigeria, it uses local indigenous languages (Kanuri, Kanembu and Buduma) to counter violent extremism and disinformation, and promote sustainable development. Ndarason interacts with approximately 9.6 million listeners daily. Ndarason broadcasts three hours a day on shortwave throughout the LCB, and 24 hours a day on its FM network. Its FM stations are in Maiduguri in Nigeria, Baga Sola, Bol, Mao, Liwa, Ngouri, Doum Doum and NDjamena in Chad. Ndarason is operated by Okapi Consulting, a non-profit company registered in South Africa, specializing in media projects in conflict zones and fragile states. Okapi Consulting has established branches in Chad and Nigeria that are implementing the RNI project. RNI employs nearly 80 people, 95% of whom are from the region. RNI was launched in 2016 to reach out to the people of the LCB affected by the Boko Haram insurgency. Under British and US funding, RNI made its debut in Maiduguri, broadcasting only on shortwave, with a signal picked up throughout the LCB. Since then, it has grown in stages. Initially operating only with a studio and a team in Maiduguri, it expanded to Chad, with the establishment of the radio headquarters in NDjamena in 2018 under Dutch funding. Since then, AFD joined RNIs donor group in 2019 with funding on Nigeria and Chad, and Switzerland for the period 2022 2025 for the same countries. The FM network around Lake Chad on the Chad side was established step by step between 2018 and 2021 thanks to AFD and Dutch funding. In 2023, RNI launched FM in Maiduguri, making it easier for the 3 million residents of the LCBs largest city to access RNI. In 2023, the German federal government granted funding to Okapi Consulting for the expansion of the network in Niger and Cameroon, where teams with local staff are in place in Diffa and Maroua. The Cameroon and Niger facilities are now closed. Objective of the radio: Since it began broadcasting, RNIs main goal has been: To improve the lives of the people of the Lake Chad Basin (men and women) through access to reliable information and the ability to make their voices heard by decision-makers. Background The violent insurgency that has affected the entire LCB region is now entering its second decade. Progress has been made in creating and unifying regional military efforts to combat Boko Haram and its branches, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), and JAS, including through the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF). However, the overwhelming focus on security responses to the insurgency has meant that the fundamental issues fuelling the violence remain largely unresolved. These problems are multiple but can be summarized as follows: 1. Weak state presence in insurgency-affected areas, especially in remote border areas. Non-state actors like Boko Haram have taken advantage of this sense of marginalization, attempting to win over the population by propagating and, in some cases, imposing a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam that rejects democracy and the nation-state in favour of religious caliphates. 2. A region of fragile states : The countries bordering Lake Chad are fragile states, with porous borders and, in some cases, a marginal government presence beyond the capitals. The Lake Chad Basin states have failed to contain armed groups operating in their peripheries, whether jihadist or otherwise. Non-state armed groups have exploited state weakness. 3. The challenges are long-term, but the threats are immediate : Meeting the socio-economic needs and requirements of the people living in the Lake Chad Basin is a long-term challenge for governments in the region. While conditions cannot be changed quickly, governments can and should try to regain the trust of their people. ISWAP has become increasingly savvy about how to win the support of local people. Unlike Boko Haram, it has worked to address gaps in service delivery and other grievances of local people by providing social services and allowing economic activities to continue. This strengthened its ties with the populations while facilitating the recruitment of fighters. This represents a new challenge for the Nigerian state and its neighbours Chad, Cameroon and Niger. 4. Poor civil-military relations: Mutual distrust between military and civilian populations prevents dialogue, undermines understanding and cooperative problem-solving. Bringing together senior army officers on air with the people they are mandated to protect offers an opportunity to dismantle the rumour and create a dialogue of understanding. Information and dialogue can counter instability and extremism. The role of RNI The complex issues at stake in the Lake Chad region require a global and long-term vision. It will take time to address these many challenges, even with the help of international actors. But there is room for acute interventions to begin to create space for peaceful discussions and interactions between communities, and to foster a deeper understanding of the issues at the local level among affected populations. Local religious, traditional, and community leaders can help offer alternative views and perspectives on Islam and its role in society. Their voices and opinions must play a leading role. Armed groups and criminals seek to divide populations and stoke instability, which promotes the prosperity of their operations, but has a dramatic impact on the well-being of local communities, both in the short and long term. Dialogue helps prevent and reduce conflict and creates deeper understanding between communities. The greater the reach of a radio service, the greater and more diverse the number of participants in the dialogue. Because the conflict is not limited to one country, discussions about how to resolve it should not either. It is in this space that a regional radio station can intervene and have a lasting impact. Radio reflects the concerns, realities and issues of the moment and can give a voice to those who do not have one. It stimulates and supports dialogue, exchange and understanding. Credible information is essential in conflict situations. People in the Lake Chad Basin need objective, reliable and regular information on current events and current events, as rumours, fake news and lack of reliable information in relevant local languages fuel the conflict. RNI brings together isolated groups that do not usually communicate with each other and allows them to find common ground on issues that might otherwise divide them. It also allows those who dont typically have voices to voice their fears, concerns, and hopes for the future using a medium that can reach and is taken seriously by politicians and leaders. RNI is also an auxiliary support tool for larger-scale regional initiatives led by actors such as the EU, UN, AU, LBC and others. Given the long-term communication challenges of the MNJTF and the LCBC, RNI is well placed as a platform for dialogue between all stakeholders. RNI offers a variety of programming: national and regional news in the three languages of broadcast, programs on health, education, and gender issues. It offers talk shows, programs on peace and Islam as well as on reconciliation and the reintegration of unarmed combatants. The 2 national stations in Chad and Nigeria also offer interactive programs. The complete schedules of the FM and shortwave are in Appendix 2. Dissemination infrastructure Shortwave and FM RNIs broadcasting infrastructure ensures that all areas of the LCB have direct access to RNI programming, with a signal that covers an area from Dakar to Khartoum. The FM ensures that people in key regions have access to RNI programmes at any time of the day and have access to content specifically produced in their immediate region and targeted. RNI broadcasts daily on shortwave for three hours a day 120 minutes in the morning and 60 minutes in the evening; these are peak times in a region that has a long and continuous tradition of listening to SW, including programs from Deutsche Welle, Radio France Internationale and the British Broadcasting Corporation. Shortwave is particularly useful in areas where communication infrastructure is weak or non-existent, such as the Lake Chad Basin. RNIs SW broadcasts cannot be disrupted, due to their offshore location, making the programming safe from external interference. In areas where the infrastructure is reasonably developed, especially in urban areas, FM transmitters tend to be a better means of broadcasting to a target audience. FM covers a much smaller target area than SW, but with a higher quality audio signal. FM transmitters also allow for the broadcasting of targeted content in the country where the transmitter is located content adapted to the local population in Chad and Nigeria. Results achieved Okapi Consulting conducted its latest survey of auditors across Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger in September November 2025, with 5,000 people. Here are the main benefits. 94% of respondents believe that Ndarasons new programs provide reliable information 82% of respondents believe that Ndarason allows them to effectively inform decision-makers 74% of respondents believe that Ndarason gives them ideas to improve gender equality in their family or community In Africa and the LCB region, radio remains by far the most used tool by the population to access information and entertainment in these countries. The figures for the individual countries are also revealing, especially in Chad and Nigeria, where Ndarason has been operating for almost a decade, 73% and 82% listen four Tender Link : https://reliefweb.int/job/4208954/sustainability-study-radio-ndarason-chad-and-nigeria
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