Focus
Africa Resilience Network
Years active: 2020-2021
The Africa Resilience Network programme is building a network of journalists, activists and analysts to identify and expose Covid-19 related disinformation in Kenya and Nigeria.
Working in collaboration with the Centre for Information Resilience, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting and Africa Uncensored, IWPR provides Africa Resilience Network members with extensive support, including:
- Developing, publishing and promoting research and reporting on Covid-19 disinformation;
- Specialist training in the latest tools and techniques to identify and expose disinformation, focusing on open-source intelligence and network analysis;
- Access to expert mentors, with training and support on managing data protection and information security risks;
- Opportunities to attend networking events and collaborate with other activists, journalists, media professionals, academic experts, editors, researchers and publishers; and
- Access to legal and health resources to help inform their work and reporting.
Upon graduating from the programme, Africa Resilience Network members become members of a global community, with lasting links to disinformation experts and fellow practitioners around the world.
For those interested in learning more about the programme, or becoming a member, please contact AfricaResilienceNetwork@iwpr.net.
The Africa Resilience Network (ARN) programme is administered as part of a co-operative agreement between the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) and the US Department of State.
Latest from the project
Reporting Covid-19 in Africa
Fake news, conspiracies and bad science mean that many are missing out on the care they need.
Kenya: the Quiz Show Combatting Covid-19
Innovative TV format helps dispel fake news and fear-mongering around the virus.
Nigeria: How Does Faith Affect Disinformation?
Conspiracy theories spreads by religious leaders have far-reaching impact.
Nigeria: No, the Covid-19 Vaccine Won’t Turn You Into A Vampire.
How one reporter calmly combatted disinformation spread by a religious leader.
Kenya: Dispelling Myths About Vaccines and Male Virility
Mombasa reporter describes how solid research and frank conversations can combat Covid-19 disinformation.
Debunking Africa’s Covid-19 Conspiracies
IWPR project uses open source intelligence and investigative techniques to probe some of the most prevalent fake news stories.
Nigeria: Media Still Used As a Tool of Control
“The more we fight for transparency, the more it will help people be accountable.”
Kenya: Combating Extremist Narratives Around Covid-19
How local journalists are working to stop radicals exploiting the pandemic as a recruitment tool.
"I see covering Covid-19 related disinformation as an opportunity to set people free from lies."
Reporting Health in the Disinformation Age
A Handbook for Journalists, Communicators, and Campaigners
The handbook is a practical resource for journalists and communicators in Sub-Saharan Africa as they counter disinformation and misinformation on a wide range of health issues, including Covid-19.
“Covid-19 has underscored the important role of health journalism in helping the public navigate complex topics affecting their lives.”
Africa Resilience Network Compendium
The work of IWPR’s new Africa Resilience Network programme (2019-21) exposed Covid-19 disinformation in both Nigeria and Kenya. Here you can read a selection of these exposes from the network and see how their work, supported by Africa Uncensored, Kenya, International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Nigeria, along with the Centre for Information Resilience UK, tackled some of the conspiracies and untruths pervasive in Kenya and Nigeria during the pandemic.
"Being able to spot misinformation disguised as legitimate news enables journalists to combat the widespread distribution of harmful, misleading and false information."
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Project website AfricaResilienceNetwork.com
Facebook @AfricaResilienceNetwork
Instagram @africaresiliencenetwork
Twitter @AfricaResilien1
The Africa Resilience Network (ARN) programme is administered as part of a co-operative agreement between the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) and the US Department of State.