At the threshold for the advent of social networks, Africa is the scene of a rapid proliferation of fake news . Although disinformation has always been an issue and a lever for controlling populations in Africa, the instantaneous nature of social networks has intensified the dissemination of disinformation campaigns .

The media, as the main information vectors, are often targeted for the dissemination of fake-news and misleading content. Disinformation campaigns can take different forms: the spread of rumors, the manipulation of public opinion and the dissemination of false information for political, economic or ideological ends.

Africa, the first victim of disinformation

In recent years, the Center for Strategic Studies of Africa (CESA) has carried out studies on the disinformation campaigns carried out throughout the African continent. In 2023, the organization thus identified 189 information manipulation operations , four times less than the previous year. The center specifies that this figure remains underestimated due to the opaque nature of this type of campaigns. According to the study, the countries most affected by this scourge are Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, South Africa and the Central African Republic.

Cartography of the wave of disinformation in Africa - Center for Strategic Studies of Africa
Disinformation campaigns to manipulate African information systems have almost quadrupled since 2022.

Of the 189 operations, 80 are identified as instrumentalized by "close to the Kremlin". According to the CESA, these campaigns affected at least 22 African countries and millions of social media users during the year 2023.

In Africa, where social networks have become preferential information vectors, manipulations represent a direct risk for democracy. Saving public confidence in the media being involved in the democratic process, the propagation of Fake News can polarize opinions, influence political decisions and fuel social and ethnic tensions, thus contributing to instability and conflict.

New initiatives to fight fake news

Recently, many initiatives have been launched by local organizations. In November 2015, the French -speaking version of Africa Check (2012 for the English -speaking version) was born in Dakar, becoming the first independent organization for verifying the facts of the African continent. Very active, this organization quickly became essential for the good health of the information system on the entire continent. Working hand in hand with the media, the mention "Africa Check" is a guarantee of credibility and legitimacy of the content and their vectors.

Africa Check | Separate the reality from fiction

Despite these multiple resolutions, the challenge persists . With the rise of social networks and the proliferation of sources of unaccussional information, the local African media must constantly innovate and adapt to maintain their credibility and their relevance. In the end, the fight against disinformation in Africa is a joint effort that requires the collaboration of all actors, journalists and media organizations to governments and citizens.

Understand the disinformation in Africa | The great continent
Russia-Ukraine; Israel-Hamas ... Disinformation is one of the burning questions of the contemporary. This is particularly the case on the African continent where it constitutes a double political and geopolitical problem which crosses all societies. This excavated study attempts to grasp its technical, political and economic contours - and to imagine solutions.

To strengthen local media is also to strengthen the foundations of democracy and social stability in Africa.