Ahead of the 2023 elections, Google.org has announced a $2 million for Nigeria Fact Checkers to address misinformation in the country.
Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager at Google Nigeria, Dawn Dimowo disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Lagos.
Dimowo said that the organization has employed the services of Full Fact, a UK-based charity on the project.
She said that continued support for Full Fact in Nigeria was an exciting opportunity to help stop the spread of misinformation and promote accurate information during the election.
“This builds on our ongoing efforts to support local fact-checking initiatives as Google is proud to support this important project and make a positive difference in the world.
“Collaborating with International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) members Africa Check, Dubawa, and FactCheckHub, Full Fact will expand the use of its AI tools to stop the spread of misinformation during the election.
The project made possible by a $2 million grant from Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, has already seen remarkable results.
“With the support of seven dedicated technical Google.org Fellows who worked on a pro bono basis, Full Fact’s AI technology has seen a 1,000x increase in claim detection.
“That is identifying which claims are most important to fact-check and help scale their fact-checks to appear in 237 million search results in 2020,’’ she said.
Dimowo said that the technology would offer instant transcription services and real-time fact-checking during debates, speeches, and throughout the election process to increase the speed and accuracy of information dissemination.
The training would also partner with and support local fact-checking partners during the election process some of which include Dubawa, and Fact Check Hub.
According to her, despite the emergence of organizations and initiatives aimed at countering the spread of misinformation and promoting accurate information in Nigeria, fact-checking still faces challenges such as limited resources and difficulties in accessing information.
With this collaboration, she said that the company will help tackle misinformation in the country.
