ECOWAS Tackles Fake News, Misinformation, Trains Journalists in Benin Republic on Information Integrity.

Raymond Enoch.

To safeguard democracy and promote credible information flow in West Africa, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has launched a two-day capacity-building workshop for journalists in Cotonou, Benin Republic. Organised in partnership with the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), the training aims to boost information integrity and equip media professionals with tools to combat misinformation, disinformation, fake news, and anti-democratic narratives threatening regional stability.

Held from 13–14 October 2025, the initiative focuses on enhancing participants’ skills in media and information literacy, conflict-sensitive reporting, and identifying disinformation actors across the subregion.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on behalf of ECOWAS President H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY, the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Benin, H.E. Ambassador Amadou Diongue, highlighted the media’s crucial role in advancing the ECOWAS Vision 2050 agenda, which champions regional integration, peace, and good governance.

The training reaffirms ECOWAS’ commitment to a resilient West African media landscape—one capable of resisting manipulation and shaping informed democratic societies.