By Lamin Fatty
Twenty-five journalists, bloggers and public communicators are receiving training in fact-checking and digital verification as concerns grow over the spread of false information ahead of The Gambia’s presidential election on 5 December 2026.
The two-day workshop, being held at Bakadaji Hotel, brings together media practitioners and communicators to strengthen their ability to identify false claims, verify information and counter disinformation during the electoral period.
The training is organised by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), through its fact-checking platform Dubawa, in collaboration with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP)-The Gambia. The European Union is funding the initiative through its Electoral Violence Monitoring, Analysis and Mitigation (E-MAM) Project.
Opening the workshop, Dubawa Project Manager Roselena Ahiable said misinformation and disinformation posed serious threats to peaceful elections, warning that false claims could heighten tensions, fuel violence and weaken public trust in democratic processes.
“Misinformation and disinformation are among the greatest threats to peaceful elections. They exacerbate tensions, fuel violence and undermine trust in democratic processes,” she said.
Ahiable urged participants to take their role in verifying information seriously, describing them as an important line of defence against falsehoods during the election period.
“You are on the front line against the tide of misinformation. The skills you learn here will not just make you better journalists; they will make you guardians of your country’s stability,” she told the participants.
She also outlined CJID’s work across Africa, describing it as a media innovation think tank founded in 2014 to support democracy and development through journalism, innovation and open data. She said the organisation operates in more than 15 African countries.
Ahiable explained that Dubawa, whose name means “to look intently” in Hausa, is CJID’s flagship fact-checking programme and operates in eight countries, including The Gambia.
European Union Attaché Pablo Padin Perez said credible elections depended not only on events at polling stations but also on the quality of information available to voters before election day.
“Elections are not only about what happens on election day. They are also about the information people receive. False and misleading information can spread very quickly, especially on social media, and undermine confidence in the electoral process,” he said.
Perez urged journalists and other media professionals to verify their sources, images and videos before publication. He also cautioned against pressure to publish unconfirmed information, stressing the importance of conflict-sensitive reporting during the electoral period.
“This workshop will give you an opportunity to strengthen these skills and put them into practice,” he added.
He said the EU was supporting the initiative through the regional E-MAM project, which covers 12 West African countries. The project, he said, forms part of the EU’s commitment to independent media, freedom of expression and peaceful political participation.
For WANEP-The Gambia National Network Coordinator Salama Njie, the danger of false information lies in its ability to turn rumours into tension and, in some cases, violence.
“Words can build peace, but unverified rumours can trigger violence,” she said, warning media practitioners against allowing the pressure to publish quickly to undermine the duty to establish the truth.
“You are the gatekeepers of public information. Your duty is not just to report what political actors say, but to verify whether what they say is true. Speed must never replace accuracy,” Njie told participants.
She said the training would equip participants with practical skills to identify deepfakes, verify manipulated images, trace the sources of viral rumours and expose coordinated disinformation campaigns.
Njie described the EU’s support as a direct investment in The Gambia’s peace and democracy, while commending CJID for bringing its fact-checking expertise to the country.
She urged participants to apply the knowledge gained during the workshop in the public interest and work together to counter false information ahead of the December polls.
With the presidential election approaching, the training seeks to strengthen the ability of journalists, bloggers and public communicators to verify claims before sharing them, at a time when misleading information can spread rapidly through social media and other communication channels.
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