Africa Check, in partnership with the Konrad-Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Media Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa, has opened applications for its 2025 Fact-Checking Fellowship Programme. The 12-day immersive fellowship will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 3 to 18 November 2025. It aims to equip African journalists, fact-checkers, and media professionals with advanced tools, strategies, and networks to reliably detect and counter misinformation.
This annual initiative continues Africa Check’s mission to strengthen fact-checking capacity across the continent, enhancing the quality of public discourse and supporting democracies by promoting accuracy, transparency, and accountability in media.
Background
Africa Check is a leading non-partisan organization founded in 2012, dedicated to verifying public claims, fighting misinformation, and improving access to accurate information across Africa.
The Konrad-Adenauer Stiftung is a German foundation that focuses on democracy and the rule of law, development, and media freedom among its various programs. Its Media Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa supports projects that build resilient information ecosystems and strengthen independent journalism. The 2025 Fellowship is one of its strategic contributions to these goals.
This fellowship builds on past versions, including a similar 12-day intensive program in Dakar, Senegal, for Francophone journalists in 2024. The 2024 edition focused on strengthening fact-checking for French-speaking media, giving participants in-depth training, mentorship, and insight into the operations of fact-checking organizations.
Objectives & What Fellows Gain
The fellowship is designed to deliver both theoretical grounding and practical experience. Key objectives include:
- Advanced fact-checking methods Fellows will learn cutting-edge techniques: verifying claims, evaluating evidence, open-source investigation tools (such as reverse image search, digital forensics), and data verification practices. Ethical considerations and source evaluation will also be major themes.
- Countering misinformation strategically Understanding how falsehoods spread, the motives behind them, and how to craft fact-checks that are clear, credible, and resonate with audiences. This includes media literacy, editorial strategy, and investigative techniques.
- Hands-on learning & collaboration Participants will work on projects, interact with expert trainers, and benefit from feedback and mentorship. They will also get exposure to Africa Check’s editorial processes.
- Networking & community building Bringing together journalists from across Africa, the fellowship is intended to strengthen pan-African networks of fact-checkers. Fellows will connect with peers, share challenges and best practices, and ideally support each other after the program.
Who Should Apply
The program is open to:
- Journalists and media professionals based in Africa
- Fact-checkers working in newsrooms, independent platforms, civil society, or related fields
- Those who have a demonstrated interest or experience in fact-checking, verification, accountability journalism, or media literacy initiatives
Applicants are expected to have a strong command of English, given that training will be conducted in English. A demonstrated capacity or intention to apply the training in their work or community will strengthen applications.
Logistics
- Dates: 3 – 18 November 2025
- Venue: Africa Check’s offices in Nairobi, Kenya
- Language: English (fluency required to participate fully in the sessions)
- Application deadline: 10 October 2025
Selection Criteria
Applicants are likely to be evaluated on:
- Relevance & demonstrated interest in fact-checking, verification, or media accountability
- Past work or potential in fact-checking or related fields (journalism, data journalism, digital investigations, etc.)
- Ability to apply learning after the fellowship (for instance, in a newsroom, independent outlet, or community setting)
- Language proficiency and the ability to participate fully in an English-language program
- Geographical diversity across Africa, ensuring representation beyond only Anglophone journalists, while acknowledging language constraints
How to Apply
Applicants should prepare:
- A completed application form (through the official link)
- Background information on their professional experience; any fact-checking, verification, or investigative work they’ve done is especially relevant
- A statement of interest explaining why they want to join, what they expect to gain, and how they plan to use what they learn
- Possibly a sample of their work (e.g., published articles, fact-checks, investigations)
Why This Fellowship Matters
- Addressing the misinformation challenge Misinformation and disinformation continue to threaten democratic processes, public health, social cohesion, and human rights in many African countries. Empowering journalists and fact-checkers with better tools and networks helps resist these threats.
- Strengthening media quality and trust Reliable fact-checking builds public trust. Media outlets with trained fact-checkers are better positioned to hold power to account and to be seen as credible by their audiences.
- Building sustainable capacity By training journalists and fact-checkers from diverse settings, the fellowship contributes to creating long-term, embedded capacity—not just one-off interventions.
- Promoting cross-border collaboration Many misinformation challenges are transnational, including cross-border disinformation campaigns, globally spreading memes, and statistical claims misused in international forums. Bringing journalists from multiple countries enables them to share strategies, tools, and knowledge beyond local silos.
What to Expect During the Fellowship
Fellows can anticipate:
- Full-day sessions: Workshops led by experienced trainers covering technical tools, ethical frameworks, case studies, and group exercises.
- Hands-on practical assignments: Fellows will work in small groups or individually to verify claims, produce fact-checks, and get feedback.
- Mentorship: Access to mentorship from established fact-checkers and Africa Check staff.
- Peer learning: Discussions, sharing of experiences, challenges in fact-checking in different national and media contexts.
- Networking: Time dedicated to building connections with fellow participants; exposure to the wider Africa Check network.
Call to Action
If you are a journalist, fact-checker, or media professional in Africa committed to truth, transparency, and accountability:
- Apply by 10 October 2025
- Commit to the full 12 days in Nairobi
- Prepare examples of your work and a plan for how you’ll use the skills gained
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