Information Disorder

25 October 2024

West Africa Regional Combating Misinformation and Disinformation

Donor: National Endowment for Democracy (NED)

Duration:

Coverage: Nigeria, Gambia, Mali, Guinea, Niger

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) with the support of National Endowment for Democracy (NED) commenced a project to counter political misinformation and disinformation to promote peaceful and democratic elections and government accountability in Burkina Faso, the Gambia, and Nigeria. Currently in Burkina Faso and the Gambia, we are also running a radio program called Le Mandat and the Mandate Show to critically analyse the information ecosystem, the political context, and educate citizens. We have dedicated Fact-checking platforms in the three countries.

The Gambia: Since the exit of Yahya Jameh, CDD commenced work in the Gambia. Our partners are the Tango, Umbrella Body of the NGOS and the Centre for Research and Policy Development (CRPD). Currently, we run two programs, one on Misinformation and Disinformation. And the second on Transitional Justice. In partnership with the CRPD, CDD engaged citizens on the TRRC process through research, training and media advocacy. Our support to CRPD, includes facilitating citizens participation in the TRRC process using the media (Radio, TV, and Social Media).

Mali and Guinea: In Mali, the Centre also led the West Africa Civil Society movement calling on the ECOWAS to prioritise its intervention in Mali and refocus on governance, human rights, and peace and security. Following the political tension and the coup d’etat in Mali, the Centre published a report Mali’s 2020 Coup - How Did We Get Here? and developed briefing notes to shed more light on the situation and provide an outlook for the country.

Niger: CDD, in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission, is providing technical and financial support to the Alternative Espaces Citoyen (AEC) in Niger to document, report and hold perpetrators of human rights abuse accountable. The project set up a citizen watch system (Mecnaisme de le vielle citoyen) with the mandate to:

Monitor human rights situation in the affected regions of Diffa;
Sensitize both rights holders and duty bearers on human rights; and
Create a safe space for victims of human rights abuse to seek justice.

The project also birthed a structure for victims of armed conflict in the Diffa region called “Association of Victims and Parents of Victims of Security Crises in the Diffa Region (AVPVCS-Diffa) and a “Network of Women and Girls for the Restoration of Peace and Security in the Diffa region called Hadin Guiwa Nelewa Jam. We had radio currently running in Kanuri and Hausa languages targeted at five of the most affected localities (1) Garin Wanzam, (2) Kindja Indi, (3) Buduri, (4) Awaridi and (5) château, a suburb of the urban municipality of Diffa.

CDD is currently working with AEC on developing a Transitional Justice approach to address victims and survivors of the Boko Haram insurgency. Part of that work involved bringing AEC staff to Nigeria where they had the opportunity to mirror our institutional learnings from our almost decade-long work with repentant terrorists and surviving victims.

Second Regional Conference on Countering Information Manipulation in West Africa

Donor: National Democratic Institute (NDI)

Duration: 2+ Years (2020 - 2022)

Coverage: Nigeria, Burkina-Faso, Niger, Guinea

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) West Africa organised a three-day Regional Conference on Countering Information Manipulation in West Africa. The activity, which was held at the Marriott Hotel Lagos involved various stakeholders in the media, civic tech, Government and civil society sectors across West Africa.

During the event, a live display of a survey on misinformation was shown to the participants to give perspective on the issue of information disorder within the region. The event centred around the various issues of dis/misinformation facing the respective countries of the participants, action plans to curb mis/disinformation and promote inclusivity, and also policies that can be adopted especially as regards the use of artificial intelligence. Participants also had practical sessions where they created gender lexicons, and developed solutions for Artificial Intelligence issues affecting their specific themed groups.

The sessions covered included:

-Findings on disinformation and hate speech in West Africa

-The role of AI in safeguarding electoral integrity

-Case studies on the impact of disinformation on marginalised communities

-Perspectives from tech companies on information manipulation"