Call for Applications: Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking and OSINT Fellowship 2026

DUBAWA and the Digital Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Information Disorder Analysis Centre (DAIDAC), initiatives of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), have opened applications for its 2026 Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking and OSINT Fellowship.

About the Fellowship

Established in 2019, the fellowship is named after Professor Kwame Karikari, a renowned media freedom advocate. It was inspired by the urgent need to tackle the rapid spread of misinformation and to institutionalise a culture of verification across the continent. For years, the fellowship has served as a cornerstone for media accountability in West Africa. 

This 2026 cohort follows a year of unprecedented success for the 2025 cohort. The 2025 fellowship empowered 40 journalists across 7 countries who produced groundbreaking work, including an award-winning investigation that exposed the “AES shadow game” fueling disinformation across West Africa.

What You Will Gain

• Intensive 3-day Bootcamp: Core training in fact-checking and OSINT methodologies.
• Professional Mentorship: Guidance from seasoned fact-checkers and OSINT experts.
• Visibility: Publication of your work on DUBAWA and DAIDAC platforms, reaching a global audience.
• Monthly stipends for support

Who Can Apply?

To apply, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Applicants must be full-time employees of a media organisation (television, radio, print and digital media), especially from grassroots communities 
• Applicants must be citizens resident in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, or The Gambia.
• Applicants must possess exceptional writing skills.
• Applicants must be interested in OSINT reporting.
• Applicants must have experience in fact-checking or investigative journalism.
• Applicants must be willing to dedicate time to all activities and events that will arise during the fellowship.
• If selected, applicants must obtain managerial buy-in from their newsroom management authorising them to undertake this fellowship and providing assurance that fact-checks will be widely circulated or published on their media platforms without interference. Also, the institution will embrace fact-checking and establish a unit dedicated to it.
• Female journalists are encouraged to apply. 
• Journalists who can write fluently in any indigenous language across Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and The Gambia are encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

Apply here. Interested candidates should prepare their portfolios, focusing on prior investigative or fact-checking work, in anticipation of the launch.

Application Deadline: 4th April, 2026

Fellowship Duration: May – July 2026