By Arret Jatta
A three-day workshop to bolster defenses against electoral disinformation and hate speech recently concluded in Kololi, convening journalists, fact‑checkers and civil‑society communicators from across The Gambia.
Organised by Gambia Participates in partnership with Fundación para la Internacionalisación de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP), the training equips participants with practical tools to detect and counter misinformation before, during and after elections.
The workshop is part of the European Union‑supported EPSG project, implemented by FIAP with partners across Ecowas.
Founder Marr Nyang said the programme prioritises support for media and civil‑society actors ahead of the 2026 elections. He named the European Union, the German government and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as funders, with FIAP as lead implementer.
Nyang warned that artificial intelligence is increasingly used to create manipulated images and propaganda, citing abuses during the supplementary voter registration exercise.
“AI‑generated images have been deployed to craft false narratives; even civil‑society and media actors have been misled,” he said. He added that the training will also demonstrate how AI can be harnessed for fact‑checking and debunking falsehoods.
Delivering a virtual address, FIAP project coordinator Maria Balen Alvaro Sanchez said similar workshops are under way in Nigeria and Benin to strengthen regional media cooperation. She described the Kololi session as a platform for dialogue, networking and collaborative solutions driven by participants.
