The region’s ability to maintain information integrity is hampered by a number of structural issues, including widespread disparities in internet access, limited inclusive access to information, poor platform governance, and low population competencies for critically and morally participating in the information ecosystem. Government efforts to protect the integrity of information in West Africa and the Sahel are typically disjointed and out of proportion, which frequently chills free speech while ignoring the structural causes of hate speech and disinformation. The rapidly changing digital landscape in West Africa and the Sahel, along with new threats to information integrity, necessitates a variety of responses, such as improved multistakeholder collaboration, human rights-abiding governance mechanisms, and initiatives to boost population resilience and competencies.
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/regional-conference-information-integrity-west-africa-and-sahel