On 2 October 2025, AfricTivistes presented in Dakar, a research report on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) in Senegal . Conducted in partnership with International IDEA, the study examines the dynamics of information manipulation and foreign interference, while providing recommendations to strengthen the country’s democratic resilience.

In an era of rising disinformation, AfricTivistes is committed to enhancing the democratic resilience of African nations against foreign information manipulation and interference. During the opening address, AfricTivistes Vice-President Cyriac Gbogou highlighted the importance of this work in a context marked by the proliferation of fake news and coordinated disinformation campaigns.

“The circulation of false information and coordinated disinformation campaigns, as well as foreign interference through information, pose real threats to our democracies, particularly during election periods,” he said.

Although Senegal has a strong democratic tradition and was ranked the most resilient country in West Africa against FIMI in 2021, it remains vulnerable to political polarisation and the economic fragility of the media, as well as the increasing influence of social media.

Produced with the support of International IDEA, a global democracy promotion organisation and several partners, this report is the first in-depth study of FIMI in Senegal. It offers:

• a mapping of the actors and methods used;
• an analysis of structural vulnerabilities; and
• recommendations for strengthening democratic resilience.

According to Mr Gbogou, this document should serve as an advocacy tool and catalyst for action for all stakeholders, including public authorities, the media, digital platforms, civil society, and the private sector.

Several prominent figures contributed to the presentation with their speeches. Mr Maurice Mboula Enguéléguélé, Senior Advisor for West Africa at International IDEA, contextualised the study within the regional project implemented by International IDEA’s Digitalisation and Democracy team to combat manipulation and informational interference in elections.

Although the study began in Senegal, it will soon be extended to other African countries, according to Mr Enguéléguélé, Senior Programme Manager at International IDEA:

“We hope to continue implementing this project in 2026 and 2027. The next steps will involve developing the analytical capacities of civil society through workshops and policy dialogues, with a view to fostering constructive exchanges between national authorities and civil society organisations.”

He concluded his address by thanking AfricTivistes for their hard work and valuable efforts in preparing the report.

Mr Bilal Tairou, Chief Coordinator of the African Fact-Checking Alliance (Code for Africa), emphasised the importance of “widely disseminating the report to raise public awareness of this contemporary issue.”

In the closing remarks, Mr Amadou Kanouté, Head of the Press and Information Division at the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Technology, reaffirmed the Senegalese government’s commitment to supporting this initiative.

After the preliminary presentations, Aisha Dabo, programme coordinator at AfricTivistes and co-author of the report, presented the Executive Summary. Ms Dabo reviewed the report’s key points to stimulate discussion.

The second part of the conference featured a keynote speech by journalist and Personal Data Commission (CDP) member Adama Sow, titled “Information Sovereignty and Democracy: Building a Senegalese Response to 21st-Century Interference.” His address delved into the crucial links between information sovereignty and democratic resilience.

Adama Sow emphasised the need for Senegal to develop a national strategy based on citizen vigilance to counter the often invisible manipulation orchestrated by foreign actors.

The highlight of the day was the expert panel, which provided a platform for in-depth discussion. Moderated by journalist Adama Sow, the panel brought together Sebastian Becker Castellaro from International IDEA, who stressed the need to understand FIMI within the broader context of colonial legacies that continue to influence media dynamics in Africa.

Papa Ismaïla Dieng, founding member of Africivistes, called for a collective Pan-African response and a unified policy framework to address the power of digital giants, noting that no single country can confront them alone.

Finally, Professor Sylla Sow, a contributor to the report, underlined the shortcomings of Senegal’s current legal framework in tackling foreign interference and information manipulation, arguing that existing laws remain incomplete and poorly adapted to the evolving forms of digital interference.

This meeting brought together institutional actors, civil society representatives, the media and technical partners who are united in their belief that the fight against manipulation and informational interference requires collective, cross-sectoral mobilisation. This follows a Validation Workshop held last August, which was attended by civil society representatives, public authorities, regulators, researchers and media professionals.

Through this study, AfricTivistes is making a vital contribution to the debate on FIMIs and reaffirming its commitment to defending the integrity of information, a prerequisite for safeguarding democracy and digital sovereignty in Senegal and across Africa.

It should be recalled that the FIMI initiative falls under a regional programme that aims to analyse the vulnerabilities of information ecosystems, equip national actors and promote transparent and sovereign information governance. Following several studies in West Africa, Senegal was chosen as the subject of an in-depth analytical report.

Download the report:

https://africtivistes.com/static/701f87e652a24f1e7273fadd3d0c4e0a/AfricTivistes-Rapport-Manipulation-de-linformation-et-dingerence-menees-depuis-letranger-FIMI-au-Senegal-version-finale-2025.docx.pdf