|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
DUBAWA and the Digital Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Information Disorder Analysis Centre (DAIDAC) have trained 40 selected journalists across West Africa as part of its Kwame Karikari 2025 fact-checking and Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) fellowship.
The fellowship aims to combat information disorder by enhancing fact-checking, promoting media literacy, and disseminating accurate information.
The fellows were drawn from different media platforms across six West African countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal.
Roselena Ahiable, DUBAWA’s Project Manager for West Africa, said the fellowship this year is an act of collective resistance.
She noted that DUBAWA, through this fellowship, is building a human firewall composed of critical thinkers armed with tools to expose hidden puppet strings to distinguish authentic voices from manufactured ones and protect the sanctity of our information ecosystem.
“This year’s fellowship is more than just a training. Each fellow who will emerge from this programme carries not just technical skills but a sacred responsibility to be the antibody to information disorder.
“In this new era of information warfare, it’s not just professional development, it’s an act of patriotism,” she said.
DAIDAC’s digital investigations manager, Silas Jonathan, also said that this year’s fellowship is unique because it addresses anti-democratic narratives and polarising messaging that have now flooded our information ecosystem.
“This year’s fellowship will help counter the challenge of disinformation, particularly as it pertains to anti-democratic narratives, and polarising messaging in terms of terror groups and other issues that have been invasive in our society.
“The selection of the fellows, combining past fellows and new ones, also signals that this is a unique way to have expert-level engagement so that we can respond to these rising issues,” he said.
Given technological advancements in the media sector, this year’s fellows were trained to apply OSINT tools to fact-checking. As part of the three-month fellowship, DUBAWA will support fellows in creating fact-checking units in their respective media platforms, further expanding their media dynamics. The fellowship will help participants network with other media personalities, expand their professional social groups, and amplify their voices.
Below is a list of the 2025 fellows and their respective media platforms:
| Country | Fellows | Media House |
| Nigeria | Glory Ugonma Itiafe | Diamond 885FM |
| Raphael Onyekachi Obasiohia | Kruzz 92.9FM Asaba | |
| Abdullahi Tijani | The Liberalist | |
| Mohammed Dahiru Lawal | PRNigeria and Daily Nigerian | |
| Daniel Ojukwu | Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) | |
| Dare Akogun | Sobi FM Ilorin | |
| Justina Asishana | The Nation Newspaper | |
| Olaide Abioye Blessing | Crest 91.1FM, Ibadan | |
| Caleb Ijioma | Roundcheck | |
| Fortune Ose Eromonsele | Premium Times Nigeria | |
| Aramide Olorunyomi | Dataphyte and Premium Times | |
| Gbemi Animasawun | Freelance | |
| Ibijoke Osayinpeju | Freelance | |
| Ghana | Caleb Ahinakwah | Asaase radio |
| Dzube Victor Kwame Apollo | Afenya Media | |
| Yahaya Masahudu | News Wire GH | |
| Karen Antwi | Tobinco Media Group (Bullet TV) | |
| Desmond Tinana | Ghana News Guide | |
| Liberia | Varney Kelvin Sirleaf | Local Voices Liberia |
| Emmanuel Mulbah Ballah | Radio Gbarnga FM 96.5 | |
| Tina Mehnpaine | Liberian Observer Newspaper | |
| Grace Princess Tarwo | Liberia Broadcasting System | |
| Sierra Leone | Idrissa Kargbo | Global Multimedia Online TV |
| Benedict AbuBakarr Conteh | Beline Media Empire | |
| Dr. Francis Sowa | FactsAlone | |
| Alusine Rehme Wilson | Awoko Newspaper / Northern Times Newspaper | |
| Patricia Sia Ngevao | Awoko Publications (SL) Ltd. | |
| The Gambia | Ebrima Mbaye | Fact-Check Centre The Gambia |
| Mariama A. Darboe | The Point Newspaper | |
| Awa Macalo | The Republic | |
| Côte d’Ivoire | Frédéric Goré-Bi | RTI Info |
| Sinlhaugo Mhinwa Abdoul-khader COULIBALY | REPLECI | |
| Mominé COULIBALY | Linfodrome | |
| Hanzet Murielle Marie-Désirée EDOUA | NCI | |
| Hubert-Armand Assin | AIP | |
| Senegal | Ayoba Faye | Walfadjiri |
| Ndiaye Mamadou | GFM | |
| Ansoumana DASYLVA | GMS | |
| Fana Cissé | PressAfrik | |
| Babacar Gueye DIOP | Le Soleil |
