NUST Hosts 12th ICCIS on Role of Communication in Climate Resilience and Sustainability
Bulawayo — The National University of Science and Technology (NUST) today concluded the 12th Annual International Conference on Communication and Information Science (ICCIS), hosted by the Faculty of Communication and Information Science (CIS). The two-day hybrid conference ran from Thursday 16th to Friday 17th October 2025 at the NUST Council Chamber and online.
The conference convened scholars, practitioners, policy makers, civil society actors and students under the theme: Communication and Integration of Innovations, Strategies, and Partnerships for Climate Resilience and Sustainable Futures. In his welcome remarks, Vice-Chancellor Professor Mqhele Dlodlo underscored the global urgency of the climate challenge phenomenon.
Professor Dlodlo, described the gathering as "a testament to our shared commitment to harnessing knowledge, innovation, and communication in pursuit of a sustainable future, for Zimbabwe, for Africa, and for the world."
Speaking to the conference theme, he emphasised the practical importance of communication and information in climate response. "Climate change is no longer a distant or abstract concern, it is a pressing and accelerating reality," he said, noting that "communication and information have emerged as critical tools for awareness, coordination and collective action."
Addressing participants in his Guest of Honour speech, the Mayor of the Metropolitan City of Bulawayo, Councilor David Coltart highlighted NUST’s mandate to translate research into practical solutions, stressing that communication and information sciences are the vital bridges that connect scientific research to policy reform and implementation. He warned that without effective communication, even the most advanced climate models, technologies and policy frameworks would remain misunderstood and abstracts to the ordinary citizens.
Clr Coltart went on to share how the City of Bulawayo, inspired by academic research done by Japanese scholars, was in the process of creating pockets of forests within the Bulawayo CBD as a means of combating climate change. He said this was being strategically done with the aim of populating the region with indigenous trees that have health and environmental benefits to the local society. “We have planted 100 different indigenous species of trees, all well labelled and QR coded to allow even our children to be able to find out more about each tree’s characteristics and health benefits” he said.
The conference programme covered a wide array of sub-themes, from crisis communication strategies and digital platforms for climate advocacy to data governance, Indigenous knowledge, women and climate justice, and the role of libraries and archives in climate research.
In his remarks the Executive Dean for the Faculty of Communication and Informtion Sciences Professor Bhekinkosi Jakobe Ncube said climate change posed a challenge for the practice of communication as it does for the environment.
“We recognise that the climate crisis is as much a communication challenge as it is an environmental one. Our task is to produce graduates, researchers, and practitioners who can interpret complex realities, shape public dialogue, and mobilise communities toward sustainable action. Through education and research, we prepare communicators who are not just storytellers, but knowledge mediators and social change agents.” he stated.
The CIS Faculty’s departments each contribute distinct, complementary strengths to climate resilience and sustainable development: Journalism and Media Studies trains ethical storytellers and investigative reporters who use digital platforms and communitycentred reporting to translate climate science into accurate, creative, and responsible public engagement; Library and Information Science prepares information professionals who ensure equitable access to credible climate knowledge and transform libraries into dynamic hubs of environmental literacy and knowledge exchange; Publishing Studies develops publishers and communication specialists who make climate and sustainability research accessible and impactful through digital innovation, open access, and sustainable publishing practices; and Records and Archives Management educates archivists who preserve documentary heritage, safeguard critical data and community histories, and promote records governance and digital preservation to support research, policy, accountability, and longterm planning. Collectively these departments realise the Faculty’s mission to educate, research, and innovate for societal transformation, producing communicators, librarians, publishers, and archivists who extend NUST’s impact into industry, government, and communities to advance resilience, inclusion, and sustainable progress.
From this two-day conference, organisers derived actionable insights for policy and practice, strengthening collaborations between academia and industry, and amplifying communication professionals’ roles in climate resilience.
Bulawayo — The National University of Science and Technology (NUST) today concluded the 12th Annual International Conference on Communication and Information Science (ICCIS), hosted by the Faculty of Communication and Information Science (CIS). The two-day hybrid conference ran from Thursday 16th to Friday 17th October 2025 at the NUST Council Chamber and online.
The conference convened scholars, practitioners, policy makers, civil society actors and students under the theme: Communication and Integration of Innovations, Strategies, and Partnerships for Climate Resilience and Sustainable Futures. In his welcome remarks, Vice-Chancellor Professor Mqhele Dlodlo underscored the global urgency of the climate challenge phenomenon.
Professor Dlodlo, described the gathering as "a testament to our shared commitment to harnessing knowledge, innovation, and communication in pursuit of a sustainable future, for Zimbabwe, for Africa, and for the world."
Speaking to the conference theme, he emphasised the practical importance of communication and information in climate response. "Climate change is no longer a distant or abstract concern, it is a pressing and accelerating reality," he said, noting that "communication and information have emerged as critical tools for awareness, coordination and collective action."
Addressing participants in his Guest of Honour speech, the Mayor of the Metropolitan City of Bulawayo, Councilor David Coltart highlighted NUST’s mandate to translate research into practical solutions, stressing that communication and information sciences are the vital bridges that connect scientific research to policy reform and implementation. He warned that without effective communication, even the most advanced climate models, technologies and policy frameworks would remain misunderstood and abstracts to the ordinary citizens.
Clr Coltart went on to share how the City of Bulawayo, inspired by academic research done by Japanese scholars, was in the process of creating pockets of forests within the Bulawayo CBD as a means of combating climate change. He said this was being strategically done with the aim of populating the region with indigenous trees that have health and environmental benefits to the local society. “We have planted 100 different indigenous species of trees, all well labelled and QR coded to allow even our children to be able to find out more about each tree’s characteristics and health benefits” he said.
The conference programme covered a wide array of sub-themes, from crisis communication strategies and digital platforms for climate advocacy to data governance, Indigenous knowledge, women and climate justice, and the role of libraries and archives in climate research.
In his remarks the Executive Dean for the Faculty of Communication and Informtion Sciences Professor Bhekinkosi Jakobe Ncube said climate change posed a challenge for the practice of communication as it does for the environment.
“We recognise that the climate crisis is as much a communication challenge as it is an environmental one. Our task is to produce graduates, researchers, and practitioners who can interpret complex realities, shape public dialogue, and mobilise communities toward sustainable action. Through education and research, we prepare communicators who are not just storytellers, but knowledge mediators and social change agents.” he stated.
The CIS Faculty’s departments each contribute distinct, complementary strengths to climate resilience and sustainable development: Journalism and Media Studies trains ethical storytellers and investigative reporters who use digital platforms and communitycentred reporting to translate climate science into accurate, creative, and responsible public engagement; Library and Information Science prepares information professionals who ensure equitable access to credible climate knowledge and transform libraries into dynamic hubs of environmental literacy and knowledge exchange; Publishing Studies develops publishers and communication specialists who make climate and sustainability research accessible and impactful through digital innovation, open access, and sustainable publishing practices; and Records and Archives Management educates archivists who preserve documentary heritage, safeguard critical data and community histories, and promote records governance and digital preservation to support research, policy, accountability, and longterm planning. Collectively these departments realise the Faculty’s mission to educate, research, and innovate for societal transformation, producing communicators, librarians, publishers, and archivists who extend NUST’s impact into industry, government, and communities to advance resilience, inclusion, and sustainable progress.
From this two-day conference, organisers derived actionable insights for policy and practice, strengthening collaborations between academia and industry, and amplifying communication professionals’ roles in climate resilience.