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Africa Fact, a network of African fact-checking organizations and managed by Africa Check will be holding its first-ever two-day in-person summit in Kenya, the capital of Nairobi.
The summit is scheduled to hold on the 9th and 10th of November, 2022 after two years of the COVID-19 disruption and virtual meetings.
The summit aims at bringing together fact-checking organizations and experts from all corners of the continent to discuss ways to effectively combat misinformation.
In 2017, the maiden African Fact meeting was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, with only two of the network’s organizations. However, the network is now made up of more than 20 organizations from across Africa. This according to Africa Check is a testament to the growth of fact-checking on the continent over the past five years.
The Executive Director of Africa Check, Noko Makgato noted that the summit, which is the largest gathering of African Fact-checkers, will be an avenue to share ideas on ways to effectively combat misinformation.
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“We are excited to be hosting this important gathering of African fact-checkers, to share ideas and best practices in effective ways of combating the scourge of misinformation on our continent,” he said.
At the inaugural summit, fact-checkers will discuss several topics on strengthening fact-checking in Africa, which will include obstacles in the fight against misinformation, why media literacy matters, and fact-checking in challenging environments.
Highlights of the event will include the highly anticipated African Fact-Checking Awards as well as a gala dinner, as the longest-running awards program honoring fact-checking journalism in Africa.
“The awards aim to bolster fact-checking excellence throughout the continent. This year, we have more than 200 entries from over 20 African countries, making it clear that fact-checking is growing across the continent,” Dudu Mkhize, Africa Check’s outreach manager disclosed.
The awards categories are divided into three, with honors going to the winners and runner-ups.
The categories include the 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.
Winners of the working journalist and professional fact-checker categories will get a prize of US$3,000 each and the runners-up will receive $1,500, while the winner of the student journalist category will be awarded $2,000, and the runner-up will be given $1,000.
