Fake news in Africa: who decides what is true?
Many African countries are fighting disinformation, but civil society groups and experts say governments sometimes use the effort to curb criticism and press freedom.
Disinformation threatens democracy worldwide, and in Africa it is especially acute ahead of elections, with misleading messages spreading on WhatsApp, TikTok and Facebook. As artificial intelligence makes it easier to fake images, voices and video, a growing number of countries are trying to teach people to spot false news. Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) reports that some of these measures raise the question of whether they truly build awareness or serve to control public opinion.
Civil society fills the gaps
Journalism lecturer Dani Madrid-Morales of the University of Sheffield believes African governments must step up their efforts, saying very few countries are doing a good job. In South Africa, Africa Check and Media Monitoring Africa explain the impact of fake news on elections, and similar coalitions exist in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal. They mostly work during election periods and otherwise lack funding.
He distinguishes three types of disinformation: scams, foreign influence operations, and political campaigns originating inside a country. Governments are most interested in the third type, especially in the Sahel region. In Burkina Faso and Mali, military governments have shut down media outlets, prosecuted journalists and expelled foreign correspondents.
Foreign influence
In a survey by the research network Afrobarometer, over 60% of respondents viewed China's influence positively, and 52% viewed that of the United States. In French-speaking countries, only 34% viewed France's influence positively.
Media literacy projects
In Ghana, the non-governmental organization Penplusbytes runs "Caravan of Hope" with support from GIZ and DW Akademie, bringing media literacy training to rural communities through theater, discussions and videos in local languages. It has so far reached 3,000 people in five districts. In South Africa, Africa Check teaches pupils to verify sources. Research suggests some young people subsequently lose trust in almost every source.
In Nigeria, the International Media and Information Literacy Institute was opened in Abuja in 2026 under UNESCO auspices, yet civil rights groups say the state often blurs the line between fighting disinformation and silencing dissent. Similar concerns exist in Kenya over laws on false information. In Mozambique, MISA vice-president Olivia Massango warns that combating disinformation must not mean criminalizing opinions.
