The ECOWAS Commission on Tuesday reiterated its commitment to strengthening strategic communication, democratic resilience, and responsible digital governance across Nigeria’s information space.
Francis Ezekiel of the Directorate of Communication, ECOWAS Commission, gave the assurance in Lagos at the ongoing meeting of Nigerian regulators on information integrity ahead of the 2027 elections.
The two-day meeting brought together Nigerian regulators, development partners, and civil society organizations to deliberate on strategies for safeguarding information integrity and combating deepfakes ahead of the elections.
Ezekiel said: “In the last one year, the ECOWAS Commission, in partnership with GIZ and the Media Foundation for West Africa, has trained more than 500 journalists across the region on combating misinformation and understanding its impact on peace and stability.
“ECOWAS has also reviewed its information and communication policy to address emerging challenges relating to social media, artificial intelligence, misinformation, and disinformation.
“The broad participation at this meeting demonstrates a shared recognition that information integrity challenges require collective action.
“It also requires stronger cooperation among governments, regulators, media practitioners, civil society organizations, and development partners,” he said.
Ezekiel noted that Nigeria, as one of Africa’s largest democratic and digital spaces, played a key role in shaping information flows and public discourse across the continent.
According to him, lessons and experiences from Nigeria would significantly contribute to broader regional responses on information integrity and democratic resilience.
He further described the Practical Guide for Regulatory Bodies, which formed the basis of the meeting, as both timely and relevant.
Ezekiel said the guide provided practical direction for regulators and stakeholders in addressing emerging risks within digital platforms and the information ecosystem.
He added that the guide also promoted transparency, accountability, institutional independence, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and human rights-based approaches to digital governance.
Also speaking, Ms Lillian Seffer, a representative of GIZ Nigeria, stressed the need to effectively address the twin challenges of misinformation and disinformation ahead of the 2027 elections.
Seffer warned that misinformation and disinformation could work against the collective interests of Nigerians if left unchecked.
“The discussion on properly addressing disinformation and misinformation is not just a technical issue; it is closely linked to democratic governance.
“Addressing disinformation is not only a technical issue. It is linked to trust, transparency, credible public communication, and ultimately democratic governance.
“It acknowledges the systemic risks of citizens being disinformed to their collective disadvantage,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Practical Guide for Regulatory Bodies implementing the Praia Policy Framework emerged from the Praia Regional Conference and aims to promote a coherent and integrated approach to information integrity policies.
Among other objectives, the framework seeks to improve the governance of digital platforms while protecting human rights, strengthen public resilience against disinformation and hate speech, promote inclusive access to public-interest information and data, and encourage multi-stakeholder engagement in support of information integrity in West Africa and the Sahel.
