Paradigm Initiative (PIN) has launched a multi-country research project aimed at strengthening public trust in democratic processes by addressing information disorder across six West and Central African nations.
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The project, titled “Countering Information Disorder in West and Central Africa: Analysing the Dynamics, Impacts, Actors and Strategic Responses,” will be implemented in partnership with researchers and institutions in Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal.
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC)-funded initiative responds to increasing threats from misinformation, disinformation and malinformation that have intensified over the past three years in the region.
Research Lead Sani Suleiman Sani said disinformation campaigns targeting the region have become more sophisticated, affecting how people perceive institutions, respond to national events and participate in democratic processes. These campaigns have contributed to eroding trust, amplifying divisions and weakening the legitimacy of the governance system.
“The goal of the project is to improve public trust in democratic processes by enhancing the resilience of the information ecosystem through research, evidence-based advocacy and capacity building,” Sani stated.
The research will examine root causes of information vulnerability by analysing social, political and technological conditions that increase individual and community susceptibility to false information. The study will also assess the online-offline circular effects of information disorder.
Researchers plan to map the information disorder ecosystem by examining how false or misleading information is created, spread and consumed. This will include identifying key actors ranging from individuals and automated bots to coordinated networks and institutions, alongside tactics such as emotional manipulation, news fabrication and exploitation of platform algorithms.
The project aims to produce evidence-based recommendations for national governments and technology platforms to promote rights-respecting interventions that uphold democratic values and enhance public safety.
Another objective involves strengthening media literacy and public resilience by supporting initiatives that help individuals develop critical thinking, verification skills and the ability to navigate complex information environments.
The research will contextualise drivers and impacts of information disorder with attention to local linguistic, cultural, gender and political dynamics across the six focus countries.
“This ensures that strategies developed are grounded in the lived realities of diverse communities,” Sani explained, noting that the regions are characterised by linguistic diversity, complex political landscapes and rapid digital expansion.
Paradigm Initiative connects underserved young Africans with digital opportunities and ensures digital rights for all. Operating across Nigeria since 2007 and Africa-wide since 2017, the organisation maintains subregional offices in Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, with interventions across more than 27 African countries.
The organisation’s programmes include Life Skills, ICTs, Financial Literacy, and Entrepreneurship (LIFE) Training Programme, digital readiness workshops for youth, and Life at Schools Club Programme. PIN has also developed online platforms, including Ayeta and Ripoti, for education and reporting digital rights violations.
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