Historic first for Africa Facts summit amid ‘major emergencies’ for social stability
PICTURE: Among its many investigations, Africa Check has examined period poverty and specifically claims about the number of South African schoolchildren who lack access to menstrual products and miss school as a consequence (Cliff Booth/Pexels)
The fourth edition of the Africa Facts summit is scheduled for 1 to 2 October 2025 in Dakar, Senegal, and will bring together fact-checking organisations and information integrity experts from across the continent.
Marking the first time the summit is hosted in a French-speaking country, this milestone reflects the Africa Facts network’s significant growth since its inception. Today, it brings together member organisations operating in multiple languages including English, French, Arabic and Amharic and others, united by a shared mission to foster a culture of information resilience by safeguarding information integrity across Africa.
‘This historic first comes at a pivotal moment when challenges related to disinformation and information integrity represent pressing issues for our media ecosystems,’ said Valdez Onanina, Editor-in-Chief of Africa Check’s Francophone office.
‘These problems now constitute major emergencies for the balance and stability of our African societies, making this Dakar gathering all the more strategic for strengthening our collective resilience in the face of these challenges’
The summit brings together a community of diverse stakeholders in the information integrity ecosystem on the continent to explore innovative projects and advancements in fact-checking practices employed in their daily operations.
The summit will feature panel discussions, workshops and show-and-tell sessions focusing on the challenges and opportunities in our collaborative efforts to address misinformation in Africa.
‘Collective resilience’
Key themes will include investigating disinformation campaigns, the impact of AI, coalition-based response models and other effective strategies, misinformation in conflict zones and region-specific solutions across the continent.
‘Despite the challenging conditions under which information integrity practitioners increasingly operate, the unwavering commitment of various partners and the continued growth of the Africa Facts network remain clear reflections of collective resilience,’ said Hlalani Gumpo, Africa Check’s Head of Outreach and Impact.
‘The summit not only reaffirms our shared purpose but also strengthens opportunities for ongoing knowledge exchange that sustains progress and deepens impact’
The summit will conclude with the highly anticipated African Fact-Checking Awards gala dinner. This is the longest-running and largest awards programme honouring fact-checking journalism in Africa.
There are three categories for the awards:
- Fact-Check of the Year by a Working Journalist
- Fact-Check of the Year by a Professional Fact-Checker
- Fact-Check of the Year by a Student Journalist
The winners of the working journalist and professional fact-checker categories will each receive $3 000. Runners-up will receive $1 500.
The winner of the student journalist category will receive $2 000, and the runner-up $1 000.
Tickets for the 2025 Africa Facts Summit will go on sale starting 21 July.
- Questions can be directed to Africa Check at afsummit@africacheck.org or summit organiser Hlalani Gumpo at hlalani@africacheck.org
- This release was first published here
