FakeWatch Africa is a project of IWPR, the Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Disinformation, misinformation, and “fake news” are among the greatest dangers of our times. These lies can blame innocent people, sow discord where there is none, and promote false medical “cures” that are life-threatening. The potential damage to our lives is as extensive as the list of social media pages and websites available on the Internet, of messenger apps on our phones – and of the countless people who use these platforms to spread untruth, whether innocently or on purpose.

Although fake news long predates the Covid-19 pandemic – it has been around all our lives in one form or another – this acute global health crisis, combined with the growing ease with which misinformation can be spread, has only raised the stakes for us all. Never has it been easier to spread fake news – and rarely, if ever, have the stakes been higher.

IWPR gives voice to people at the frontlines of conflict and transition to help them drive change. FakeWatch Africa provides a platform for our partners in Africa to showcase their own investigative work, as they check facts, bust myths, and labour hard to uncover the truth.