The concepts development communication, non-development communication, development journalism and development support communication are often misunderstood. The confusion, according to this paper, becomes even more magnified in Africa due to lack of sufficient literature on the conceptualisation, definition and operational parameters of the concepts in question. The paper presents a historical account of the origins of the concepts and differentiates each from the other. The essence of the paper, however, is that the mass media if well applied, can facilitate the development process. In a bid to illustrate how this can happen, the paper outlines some approaches that can be adopted and how best to manage these strategies. Paramount in the process is the need to synchronise the issue to be dealt with, the audience for whom the communication message is intended, the nature of the media to be used, and the socio-political and economic context within which the media campaign is to be effected. The paper concludes that all four concepts are crucial for development in their own right. It, however, warns that their effective utilisation calls for high degrees of specificity in their formulation, planning and management.
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