1st Biennial Conference, Nairobi, Kenya, December 1976
Theme: “Communication Education in Africa”

2nd Biennial Conference, Dakar, Senegal, December 1978
Theme: “How communicators should communicate”

3rd Biennial Conference, Arusha, Tanzania, December 1981
Theme: “Communication and Rural Development”

4th Biennial Conference, Lome, Togo November 11-17, 1984
Theme: “Communication strategies for rural development in Africa: the challenges of the 80s”

5th Biennial Conference, Harare, Zimbabwe, October 13-18, 1986
Theme: "Communication for liberation and self-reliance”.

6th Biennial Conference, Jos, Nigeria, October 24-30, 1988
Theme: "Communication and the democratic processes in Africa”

7th Biennial Conference, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso October 22-27, 1990
Theme: “Science and technology implications for communication development in Africa”

8th Biennial Conference, Cairo, Egypt October 19-23, 1992
Theme: "Communication and the environment in Africa: challenges for the future”

9th Biennial Conference, Accra, Ghana October 16-23 1994
Theme: “Media and sustainable development in Africa”

10th Biennial Conference, Cape Town, South Africa November 15-22, 1996
Theme: “Communication and the Empowerment of the Civil Society”.

11th Biennial Conference, Nairobi, Kenya October 9-15, 1998
Theme: "Communication and good governance"

12th Biennial Conference, Cairo, Egypt October 16-20, 2000
Theme: “Media and Rural Communities in Africa”.

13th Biennial Conference, Abuja, Nigeria August 10-13, 2003
Theme: “Communication and the Culture of Peace in Africa”.

1. What is an ACCE Biennial and what purpose does it serve?

An ACCE Biennial is a professional meeting, of communication and media practitioners, scholars and policy makers, held every two years. Biennials serve two purposes. First, they provide an opportunity for senior and emerging scholars, media practitioners and planners and policy makers to come together to share information and to engage in highly productive debates on a wide-range of communication issues facing Africa. Second, biennials bring together ACCE members who comprise the General Assembly of the organization. The General Assembly is the highest body of the ACCE. The Assembly's tasks include drafting the organization’s policy guidelines, suggesting programme direction, and electing the Executive Committee.

2. Where and when are biennials held?

Biennials are held in a country in Africa where there is a national ACCE chapter. In selecting a site, the ACCE's General Assembly strives to take into account regional and linguistic differences. Biennials are normally held in October of the biennial year.

3. Who plans a biennial?

The planning of a biennial is the sole responsibility of the national ACCE chapter hosting the biennial. The ACCE's Secretariat in Nairobi assists the national chapter as needed.

4. How is a country selected to hold a biennial?

A country wishing to hold a biennial should provide the Secretariat with a "Proposal to Hold a Biennial" one month (September) before the biennial (Note: If a country cannot make the September deadline, then the proposal should be brought to the Biennial meeting.) The proposal should include the following information:

1. The ACCE national chapter and its chair
2. Facilities that will be available for the meeting
3. Transportation information
4. Lodging and meal costs (estimated)
5. Requirements and costs for visas
6. Airline discounts and any other pertinent information that will help the General Assembly in making a decision.

At the General Assembly's meeting, the national chair or a designated representative from the country bidding to hold a biennial must be present to discuss the country's case. At the conclusion of the presentation and following comments from the floor, a vote is taken.

5. When does planning begin?

Biennials take time and effort to plan. Therefore planning should begin immediately after the site has been selected by the General Assembly

6. What structure should be put in place to simplify the planning of a biennial?

To begin, a local organizing committee is to be established. The local organizing committee can consist of the members of the national chapter. Once a chair of the organizing committee is elected, the planning begins (Remember it's not too early to start this process 18 months in advance.) The local organizing committee is to decide how they will divide the responsibilities. These responsibilities can include but is not limited to: 1) creating a hospitality committee, (2) an information committee (3) a promotion and press committee, (4) a registration committee, and (5) a fundraising committee. The local organizing committee should also decide if there is need to include individuals who may not be members of ACCE but whose skills are needed to help the chapter in the planning process.

7. Who is responsible for sending out the information and the call for papers or panels for the biennial?

The Secretariat in Nairobi will send out information on the Biennial which will include a division-wide call for papers and panel proposals. This can be sent out both in paper copy and through E-mail. In addition, divisional chairs and vice-chairs are responsible for sending out call for papers for their own divisions.

8. When should a call for papers or panels be sent out?

A call for papers should be sent out in November of the year before the Biennial year with 31 March as the deadline for responses. (See Sample Call for Papers)

9. Who is responsible for finalizing the biennial programme?

The first step in finalizing the biennial programme is to occur within the divisions. Once the divisions have completed their tasks, they are to forward their division's programme to the local organizing committee and to the Secretariat in Nairobi. It is the committees' responsibility to put the final biennial programme together. A draft copy of the programme is to be forwarded to the Secretariat at least three months before the biennial.

10. When should the biennial programme be completed?

By 30 June of the Biennial year, a preliminary programme and registration form should be developed. The final programme should be completed and submitted to the Secretariat by 31 August.

11. Does someone have to register to attend the biennial?

Yes. All persons and guests attending a Biennial are urged to register (or complete registration) as soon after arriving as possible.

12. Can someone register for the biennial and not be a member of the ACCE?

Yes. But individuals should be encouraged to join the organization. All persons presenting a paper are to be members of ACCE.

13. What kind of information is required on a registration form?

The biennial number, the venue and date, name, institutional affiliation, address, telephone, fax, E-mail, whether presenting a paper (See REGISTRATION FORM example.)

14. How does a chapter raise funds to pay for the Biennial programme?

There are many ways a chapter can raise funds to offset the cost of a Biennial. However, before fund raising efforts begin, the chapter must develop a reasonable budget. This will allow a chapter to decide what their needs are and then to plan based on those needs. A national chapter may receive some funds from the Secretariat who is responsible for writing grant proposals to select partners. However, national chapters should develop their own fund raising strategies. These include seeking corporate or private funding, asking a local press agency, broadcast station or newspaper to contribute to an activity(e.g., to print the biennial programme or to hold a recetion), seeking discount rates from international, national or regional airlines and discount hotel rates. The cost for the programme journal can also be offset by soliciting advertisements from book publishers, schools of journalism, media training institutions, newspapers, print and broadcast media institutions, and international bodies engaged in communication activities.

15. How should the national chapter select a keynote speaker?

Think about the theme. Brainstorm with the member of the local organizing committee potential speakers. Feel free to ask the Executive Committee divisional chairs and the Secretariat for suggestions. List all potential speakers. Rank order the list beginning with the person most sought after. All of this preliminary planning should begin at least one year before the biennial. Many individuals who are potential speakers are quite busy and their schedules are often planned months, if not years in advance. Therefore, it is imperative that the local organizing committee begins this process early. Given the need to keep ACCE first on the continental African map and the international scene, it is also important that the keynote speaker have continental or international visibility.

16. What responsibilities does a national chapter have at the conclusion of a biennial?

The national chapters and the local organizing committee are responsible for submitting to the Secretariat in Nairobi a detailed financial report within 90 days of the conclusion of the biennial, including any reports required.

EXAMPLE OF INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN THE BIENNIAL PROGRAMME

1. BACKGROUND ON ACCE (Available on the ACCE Website or from the Secretariat)

2. ACCE OFFICERS:

A listing of ACCE's Officers and Secretariat Staff (Executive Committee, Division Chairs and Vice-Chairs, National Chapter Chairs, Secretariat Staff)

3. A WELCOME STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE AND/OR CHAPTER

4. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (The following is a suggested draft)

Those listed below have provided invaluable contributions to the # Biennial. The ACCE Executive Committee extends sincere appreciation for their dedication in making this biennial a success.

List the names and affiliation of all those who have contributed to the Biennial.

5. ACCE BIENNIALS

List date and place of past biennials.

	Nairobi, Kenya - December 1976
	Dakar, Senegal - December 1978
	Arusha, Tanzania - December 1981
	Lome, Togo - November 1984
	Harare, Zimbabwe - October 1986
	Jos, Nigeria - October, 1988
	Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso - October 1990
	Cairo, Egypt - October 1992
	Accra, Ghana - October 1994
	Cape town, South Africa - November 1996
	Nairobi, Kenya - October 1998
	Cairo, Egypt - October 2000

6. SCHEDULE OF SESSIONS AND EVENTS

a. Pre-Biennial Conference

Date, place, times, title, presenter and other information that participants will need.

b. Skills Building Workshops (if divisions or individuals are proposing to do such workshops)

List of short, skills building workshops to enhance teaching, research and/or professional skills. Include title and a short description of the workshop, the date, place and presenter(s) and cost (if any).

c. Biennial Conference Schedule

Descriptions of sessions and events...include date, place, times, title and presenter(s).

7. PROGRAMME ADVERTISERS

Place advertisements from programme sponsors.

8. GENERAL INFORMATION

This should be tailored to the local situation and the needs of the particular biennial. The following are suggestions about what should be included in this section

d. Transportation:

This should include information about the availability of transportation to special events and information on taxis and buses that members may want to take on their own.

e. Reconfirming Tickets

Informs members when, how and the cost, if any, for reconfirming airline tickets.

f. Information and Hospitality

Informs members where to find out about local restaurants, sightseeing, shopping and other things to do and places to see.

g. Special Events

Informs members when and where to meet to attend any special events.

h. Computers, Copying and Internet Services

Informs members where and when word processing, photocopying and E-mail services are available. This could be either at the Biennial's site or off the site.

i. Hotels

If Biennial participants are to be housed in hotels at various sites, the local chapter should provide a listing of the hotels, addresses and phone numbers. This is not necessary if participants are to be housed at the same location.

SAMPLE CALL FOR PAPERS

ACCE

African Council for Communication Education

CALL FOR PAPERS, ABSTRACTS, PANEL PROPOSALS, WORKSHOPS

No. Biennial Conference

DATE

VENUE

CITY, COUNTRY

"Conference Theme"

Professional and scholarly papers and panels on communication in Africa provide the focal point of the Biennial conference. The ACCE invites abstracts/proposals for papers, panels and workshops from people in all disciplines and interdisciplinary areas of communications, law, humanities, social sciences, the arts, and economics.

A 250-word abstract/proposals for individual or co-authored papers should be submitted by 31 March, which relates to any aspect of the theme to the appropriate divisional chair. Please include name, affiliation, address, and telephone number of each author/participant. Panel or workshop submissions must have the title of the panel, all the panelists' names and affiliations, a brief description of the rationale for the panel or workshop, and a 150-word abstract for each paper to be presented.

Papers or panel proposals can be submitted in English or French. All programme participants must be members of ACCE and register for the conference.

Note: Unfortunately, ACCE is not able to provide financial assistance to defray the cost of transportation, lodging, registration, or any other expenses.

For more information about the conference, contact the ACCE Secretariat (List the name of the Biennial contact person, address, phone, fax, e-mail)

ACCE national chapters planning to host a biennial should check out the Guidelines for Planning a Biennial .

Guidelines for the Call for Papers for ACCE Biennials are available on this site.