Dubawa unveils 26 Fact-Checkers for 2021 Fellowship

West Africa’s verification and fact-checking platform, Dubawa, has unveiled the twenty-six fellows selected for its 2021 cohort of fact-checkers to combat misinformation in the sub-region.

The platform, under the auspices of the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), announced the commencement of the yearly fellowship in Abuja on Monday 17th May 2021.

Now in its third year, the 2021 fellowship is named Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking and Research Fellowship in honour of Ghanaian Professor, Kwame Karikari.

The successful applicants, drawn from over 200 applications in The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, have undergone intensive training that will equip them in combating misinformation in West Africa sub-region.

They have been trained on the accountability journalism ecosystem in the sub-region; how to fix the current information disorder through legal, regulatory responses, and misinformation literacy.

They have also learned fact-checking methodology, the skills and steps involved in fact-checking, ethics of journalism and fact-checking; data presentation and analysis for fact-checking, media literacy, monitoring, and analysis of social media content and accounts; investigating websites, as well as freedom of information/right to Information laws in West Africa and the verification of digital tools.

The fellowship named after Professor Kwame Karikari,  media freedom advocate and founder of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), is inspired by the need to tackle the menace of mis- and disinformation within the sub-region and beyond.

These names, countries, and media organizations of the 2021 Fellows are listed below:

1) Nana Yaa Ofosua Nyarko

Ghana

Angel Broadcasting Network Ghana (Angel FM)

2) Gideon Kwame Sarkodie Osei

Ghana

Adars FM

3) Kizito Cudjoe

Ghana

Business and Financial Times

4) Mercy Akosua Ansah

Ghana

Dinpa FM

5) Joshua Atinga Asaah

Ghana

A1 Radio

6) Antonia Mamawa Howard

Sierra Leone

Africa Young Voices Media

7) John-John Don-Michael Whitfield

Sierra Leone

Afriradio

8) Bettie Kemah Johnson-Mbayo

Liberia

The Stage Media

9) Josephine Gbeh Wreh

Liberia

Sky Communication Incorporated (Sky FM/TV)

10) Joe Wremongar Blojay

Liberia

Centre for Media Studies and Peacebuilding

12) Annonciata Gaena Byukusenge

Rwanda

Rwanda News 24

13) Funmilola Afolabi

Nigeria

Crest FM Ondo

14) Akogun Dare

Nigeria

SOBI 101.9 FM Ilorin

15) Sadiq Lami

Nigeria

Daily Trust Kaduna

16) Olatunbosun Micheal

Nigeria

Splash FM, Oyo State

17) Rahaman Abiola

Nigeria

Legit NG (NAIJ)

18) Ogunbamowo Elizabeth

Nigeria

Sahara Reporters

19) Nandang Nanji

Nigeria

Jay Modulation Frequency ( Jay101.9fm)

20) Adeoye Faith

Nigeria

The Nigerian Tribune

21) Adejo Daniel

Nigeria

FRCN

22) Lawal Mohammad

Nigeria

PR Nigeria

23) ABANG FORTUNE

Nigeria

NAN

24) Olorunsola Iyabode

Nigeria

NTA

25) Omogbolagun Temitope

Nigeria Punch

26) AISHA ALI

Nigeria

NOA

EDWARD SAMUEL

Nigeria

NOA.

DUBAWA is an independent, transparent and non-partisan verification and fact-checking platform, initiated by the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) in 2018.

Dubawa aims at instituting a culture of truth and verification in public discourse and journalism through strategic partnerships between the media, government, civil society organisations, technology giants, and the public.

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