2027: FIAP, others train journalists, fact-checkers on electoral integrity

The Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP), in collaboration with FactCheckAfrica, under the European Union Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance (EPSG) Project recently trained journalists, fact-checkers and wikimedia professionals in Abuja on how to deepen electoral information integrity ahead of 2027 elections.

The high-impact three-day capacity training had participants drawn within and outside Abuja.

The training programme centered on Interactive Media Seminar and Edit-a-thon aimed at strengthening the capacity of Wikimedia editors, newsroom editors and fact-checkers on how to counter disinformation and improve the quality of election-related information available to the public as the electorate marched to the polls in 2027.

While dwelling on the need for the training,    founder of FactCheckAfrica, Abideen Olasupo, noted that the collaboration between fact-checkers, journalists, and Wikimedia contributors provides an important pathway for making verified information more accessible and durable within Nigeria’s information ecosystem.

The goal, he said, is not simply to correct information once it becomes viral but to strengthen the systems so that accurate, well-sourced information is documented, reviewed and made accessible to the public

“We are creating a practical workflow that can support information integrity beyond the training room by bringing the professionals together,” Olasupo said.

A participant and Wikipedia editor, Chinaza Ikechukwu, while recounting her experience said it was both practical and empowering.