ECOWAS Trains 500 Journalists To Tackle Election Disinformation

By NewsDESK –

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has trained more than 500 journalists across 12 member states to tackle electoral disinformation and strengthen information integrity ahead of elections across West Africa.

The Commission disclosed this during a two-day capacity-building workshop for journalists and Wikipedia editors themed “Strengthening Electoral Information Integrity through Responsible Journalism, Fact-Checking and Open Knowledge.”

Speaking on behalf of ECOWAS Director of Communication, Joel Ahofodji, Chukuemeka Ezekiel said the growing spread of misinformation, hate speech and manipulated digital content posed serious threats to democracy, public trust, peace and security.

He warned that the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) had made it easier to produce convincing but fabricated images, videos, audio recordings and narratives capable of misleading voters and undermining confidence in electoral institutions.

According to him, ECOWAS considers information integrity a critical component of its mandate to promote democracy, good governance, peace and security across West Africa.

He said the Commission had established the ECOWAS Disinformation Working Group to strengthen regional coordination and develop a collective response to information disorder.

Ahofodji disclosed that the group’s second meeting, held in Accra, Ghana, from October 15 to 16, 2026, focused on institutional coordination, capacity development and the ECOWAS Information Integrity Roadmap 2026–2030.

He also identified fact-checking, open-source intelligence, digital verification, digital safety, conflict-sensitive reporting and media literacy as key areas of ECOWAS capacity-building programmes.

The ECOWAS representative cited the National Misinformation and Disinformation Response Centre in The Gambia, inaugurated in April 2026 with the Commission’s strategic support, as an example of efforts to strengthen national responses to false information.

He said the centre supports real-time fact-checking, early warning and media and information literacy.

However, he cautioned that efforts to tackle disinformation must not undermine freedom of expression, media independence or access to information, stressing that countering false narratives should never become an excuse for censorship.

Addressing journalists, Ahofodji urged media practitioners to prioritise accuracy over speed, verify their sources and carefully examine digital content, particularly when reporting elections, political transitions and security developments.

He also stressed the importance of collaboration between professional journalists and Wikipedia editors in making credible, properly sourced information about ECOWAS and democratic developments in West Africa more accessible.

He urged participants to develop practical action plans that would translate lessons from the workshop into stronger newsroom practices, fact-checking initiatives and responsible public information activities.

Ahofodji maintained that tackling information disorder required collective efforts from governments, electoral institutions, journalists, civil society organisations, technology platforms, researchers and citizens.

He reaffirmed ECOWAS’s commitment to building a resilient regional information environment that strengthens democratic governance, public trust and the aspirations of the Community under ECOWAS Vision 2050.

(The Guardian)