The summit, co-organized by Africa Check and local partners DUBAWA Ghana, the fact-checking arm of the Center for Journalism and Innovation Development (CJID), and Ghana Fact, aims to neutralize the effects of information failure on African democracies. It is said that
The theme is “Countering misinformation and disinformation in Africa: Challenges, innovations and strategic responses.”
In their welcome remarks, Professor Abena Eboah Banin, Dean of the University’s School of Communication, Noko Magkota, Executive Director of Africa Check, and keynote speaker Onika Makwakwa, took turns to discuss how disinformation can undermine democracy in Africa. provided insight into how it is impacting society. Academic institutions and all Africans need to pool their resources and expertise to fight it.
Elections are scheduled in at least 10 African countries, including Ghana, in the final quarter of 2024.
The experience of fact checkers and experts from across the continent came to the fore.
From gunshots to disperse angry protesters in Nigeria, to violent youth in Kenya forcing the president to fire ministers, to acts of gender discrimination and sexist disinformation across Africa’s media landscape, Ibrahim Traore Until Capt.’s media silence in Burkina Faso. , an insight into the problem of disinformation in Africa’s governance structures and how fact-checkers at the 50-member Africa Fact Network are trying to counter it through fact-checking and other media literacy campaigns. shared.
During a breakout session held in a seminar room at the Sedi Conference Center in Accra, experts took fact-checkers to the parliaments of Kenya, Abuja, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, and the streets of South Africa and Senegal. They showed how disinformation plays out in a variety of alarming situations.
In each case, the truth was assassinated while deception and manipulation by malicious actors competing for power, fame, and money took center stage.
Over the next 48 hours, fact checkers across the continent will be challenged to find ways to counter the activities of these malicious actors both inside and outside of government and provide a more resilient information architecture. Topics covered include misinformation in a political context, misinformation targeting specific communities, the role of the media in shaping the narrative, digital tools and technologies to combat disinformation, and how to combat misinformation. This includes challenges and strategies for dealing with them.
Experts covering some of these topics include Bisan Habu of CJID, Rabiu Alhassan of Fact Space West Africa, Duncan Bwire of Africa Check in Kenya, Ange Kasongo of Balobaki Check, and Kwaku Krobea Asante of Fact-check Ghana. It will be. Mr. Rabeb Aloui of BN Check.
The summit concluded on October 10, 2024, after a gala night honoring deserving fact-checkers who have done influential work during the year.
