Africa Check and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung advance information integrity through journalism fellowship
Africa Check, the continent’s leading organisation for promoting information integrity and resilience, has partnered with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), a German foundation advancing democracy and media development, to host an immersive fellowship for journalists and fact-checkers from five African countries.
The fellowship is taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, Africa Check’s regional hub for East and Central Africa, and will host fellows from Algeria, Lesotho, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Uganda from 3 to 18 November 2025.
“For the past decade, Africa Check has trained more than 15,000 people across Africa to verify information, tackle disinformation, use artificial intelligence responsibly and stay safe and smart online,” said Alphonce Shiundu, country editor of Africa Check in Kenya.
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“This fellowship builds on that intellectual infrastructure to develop champions who continue to inculcate a culture of curiosity, evidence and accountability in their countries.”
Shiundu noted that Africa Check’s fellowship programme and related partnerships had helped grow the fact-checking community in Africa to about 55 organisations in at least 30 countries, with many fellows going on to establish impactful fact-checking and verification initiatives in their countries.
He added that KAS’s support for the fellowship was a boost for accountability journalism and information integrity at a time when funding for such work was increasingly limited.
Hendrik Sittig, director of media programmes for sub-Saharan Africa at KAS, welcomed the fellows with a reminder that accurate information was the foundation of both journalism and democracy.
“Democracy thrives on pluralism, on many voices and many opinions. But the foundation of that pluralism must be truthful information. Without it, decision-making becomes dangerous, easily manipulated, and even disruptive,” Sittig said.
He cautioned that disinformation often spread through ordinary people, noting that even well-intentioned individuals could unknowingly amplify harmful falsehoods.
“Without careful verification, false claims could shape opinions, influence decisions and even endanger democratic processes. Fact-checkers create transparency, strengthen trust in the media and enable us to discuss issues on a solid base, not on rumours or half-truths,” Sittig said.
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Sittig added that awareness was key, as people needed to understand the sources, spread and societal impact of disinformation.
The Africa Check-KAS fellowship champions truth-telling and accountable journalism. By giving fellows the skills to verify, question and tell evidence-based stories, it helps nurture a generation committed to safeguarding truth and trust in Africa’s public conversations.
The fellowship is designed to share Africa Check’s proven tools and editorial discipline, which have strengthened information resilience across the continent.
“The hope is that each fellow will return home inspired to meaningfully foster honest and informed debate within their own newsroom,” said Shiundu.
