The second edition of the Africa Facts Summit is scheduled to be held in the Mauritian capital of Port Louis. This was revealed in Africa Check’s Friday, July 14, 2023 newsletter.
The summit will run from October 5 to October 6, 2023, bringing together fact-checking organisations and experts from all continent regions.
According to the executive director of Africa Check, Noko Makgato, “This convening is an opportunity for us to come together to discuss not only the challenges but also the opportunities in the broader effort to counter misinformation and disinformation on the continent. It allows us to find context-specific solutions in response to the scourge of bad information.”
The summit aims to showcase the latest trends, research and practical approaches to countering the spread of false and misleading information in Africa.
These will include the challenges and opportunities posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) for fact-checkers and why African fact-checkers should put climate change misinformation on the agenda. The meeting will also showcase effective media literacy activities and offer practical skills workshops to participants.
The summit will be concluded with the African Fact-Checking Awards gala dinner, where African fact-checkers will be honoured.
The awards have three categories: Fact-Check of the Year by a Working Journalist, Fact-Check of the Year by a Professional Fact-Checker, and Fact-Check of the Year by a Student Journalist.
The working journalist and professional fact-checker category winners will each receive US$3,000, while the runners-up will receive $1,500.
The winner will receive $2,000 for the student journalist category and the runner-up $1,000.
The Africa Facts network, which aims to strengthen and elevate the practice of fact-checking and resilience-building on the continent, has grown from two organisations in 2017, when it was established, to more than 40 member organisations.
This expanded network reach, particularly in Arabic-speaking and Francophone countries, highlights the progress made by organisations working to counter misinformation across the continent.
