It is deeply concerning that critical policy documents, crafted to guide economic reforms, inform public decisions, and shape development priorities are barely being read by the very people they are meant to serve.
Development Diaries reports that the remarks by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Olayemi Cardoso and the findings of the recent United Nations (U.N.) report reveal a shared global challenge: critical policy and development documents are not being widely read or engaged with.
Cardoso, in May, expressed concern that only about 1,000 to 2,000 people had downloaded a significant policy document, the Nigeria Development Update (NDU) by the World Bank.
Similarly, the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier in August disclosed that one in five U.N. reports receives fewer than 1,000 downloads, and even the top five percent of reports are downloaded just over 5,500 times, downloads that may not translate to actual reading.
These statistics point to a troubling gap between the creation of important resources and the public’s ability or willingness to consume them.
One major reason for this disconnect is the complexity of the language used in such documents.
Policy and technical reports are often loaded with jargon, dense data tables, and abstract frameworks that may be accessible to academics, analysts, and seasoned policymakers but alienating to the average citizen or even mid-level public officials.
While these documents contain valuable insights, the way they are presented can make them seem intimidating or irrelevant to those who could benefit from them the most.
This communication gap risks creating a situation where vital policy guidance exists but fails to influence public discourse or decision-making at the grassroots level.
Another factor is the limited culture of document-based engagement in many societies.
In Nigeria, Cardoso’s observation that ‘Nigerians perhaps don’t read enough’ points to broader societal challenges, including low levels of trust in official communications, poor digital literacy, and limited access to the internet in rural areas.
Globally, as the U.N. report highlights, the problem is not unique to Nigeria, it is part of a wider pattern where excessive production of documents, combined with an oversaturation of information, results in many publications being ignored.
In such contexts, the priority should not be merely producing reports but ensuring they are digestible, relatable, and presented in ways that resonate with their intended audiences.
This is where plain language, visual storytelling, and localisation of content become essential.
Instead of releasing reports in formats that only technical experts can understand, institutions should invest in creating accessible summaries, infographics, short explainer videos, and translated content in local languages.
This approach would increase reach and also foster understanding and trust among everyday citizens, community leaders, and even policymakers who may lack the time to read a 100-page technical report.
The impact of a policy document lies not in how sophisticated it appears, but in how effectively it changes perceptions, informs decisions, and inspires action.
Government agencies, international organisations, and policy institutions must recognise that communication is not complete when a report is published, it is only complete when the intended audience understands and can act on it.
Development Diaries calls on the CBN, government agencies, international organisations, policy institutions, the World Bank, the United Nations, and similar bodies to commit to simplifying their outputs, creating multiple formats for different audiences, and embedding public education into their dissemination strategies.
Without such steps, valuable research and recommendations will continue to gather digital dust, and the gap between policy knowledge and public action will remain stubbornly wide.
