Burkina Faso: The CGD equips several hundred young people on the dangers of fake news

The Center for Democratic Governance (CGD) organized an inclusive dialogue on misinformation on December 3 and 4, 2024 in Ouagadougou. The two sessions each brought together hundreds of young governance players, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and students.

In a context where false information is an integral part of the information flow ecosystem in Burkina Faso, the Center for Democratic Governance (CGD) has embarked on the dynamic of strengthening the culture of veracity and discernment.

The aim of this inclusive dialogue is to help build the resilience of young people and governance players in Ouagadougou to misinformation and hate speech, by promoting a culture of truthfulness, discernment and peaceful coexistence.

Over two days, presentations focused on the main patterns of misinformation in Burkina Faso and techniques for combating fake news. According to CGD program manager Anselme Somda, disinformation or information disorder is nothing new. "It has existed since antiquity. It began to grow in the Middle Ages," he says.

For him, in the past, information disorder could start in a village and spread by word of mouth. Nowadays, with a single click, false information can travel all over the world.

The CGD wants to turn young people into ambassadors of good practice on social networks. "In presenting our country's situation, which is marked by a juxtaposition of crises, we said that it would be interesting for young people to be able to use their social networks to promote good governance.to promote social cohesion and counter information disorder," confided Anselme Somda.

"Disinformation is a scourge for social cohesion".

From the testimonies of the various participants, we note that this training is welcomed. I think it's a great initiative, insofar as this training enables me to learn about disinformation, its causes and how to combat it", confided Sébana Somda."says Sébana Siria, a diplomacy student at the Université libre du Burkina (ULB) and member of the CGD/ULB cell.

Some grey areas have been cleared up. According to Souleymane Zané, a student in art and cultural administration management at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University: "The training course on disinformation run by the CGD is a good opportunity for us to learn more, because almost all of us are consumers of disinformation, but we often don't realize it. Unfortunately, this creates a lot of victims, and that's a real shame.

As for Saïda Koné, a member of the CGD unit at the Université Saint Thomas D'Aquin (USTA), she noted that: "Misinformation is a scourge for social cohesion. By behaving responsibly and as citizens, we all need to help reduce it as much as possible".

For Anicet Tapsoba, an electrical and industrial IT engineer, "What's necessary and important is to raise awareness".

Amdia Kafandou, a student in 2nd grade C at Collège privé Wendmanagda, has made a commitment: "If I go home, I'm going to tell my parents, my older brothers, my younger sisters and then my aunts and cousins about this, so that it spreads".

According to CGD program assistant Aimé Fabrice Bazié, the training is part of a major project called "Inclusive Governance for Resilience (IGR)", implemented by the NGO Creative Associates International. "It's with a view to combating misinformation and fake news in order to contribute to the government's effort to raise awareness among the population," he justified.

The event was organized with the technical and financial support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Source: lefaso.net/