Bingwa Civic Tech Lab

Communications
9 months, 4 weeks

Goma: Bingwa Civic Tech Lab Hosts Regional Training on Digital Safety and Countering Disinformation in Times of Crisis

On Saturday, 22 November 2025, Bingwa Civic Tech Lab hosted, both in Goma and online, the Central Africa Capacity-Building Session of the Africa Youth Internet Governance Forum (AfYIGF) 2025, organised in partnership with Paradigm Initiative.

Held under the theme “Staying Safe and Informed: Social Media Caution and Countering Disinformation in Times of Crisis,” the session brought together young leaders, students, community influencers, and digital actors from Goma and across Central Africa.

In a region where internet access is rapidly increasing—yet often accompanied by the spread of misinformation and harmful rumours, especially in Eastern DRC—this training aimed to equip young people with the skills needed to stay safe online, identify false information, and build community resilience against media manipulation and panic-inducing content.

A rich program led by regional experts
The day opened with remarks from Athanase Bahizire, AfYIGF Coordinator for Central Africa, emphasising the importance of strengthening youth capacities in today’s complex information landscape.

Key highlights of the program included:

• Key organisations fighting disinformation in the DRC
Presented by Juniace Ngangeli (Veilleurs du Web RDC), who demonstrated practical tools such as Google Lens and InVID to verify images and videos before sharing.

• Case studies of disinformation across African countries
Shared by Lorna Michelle Olongbo (U-Report CAR) and Sylvain William Sop (Youth IGF Cameroon), illustrating the real-world impact of unchecked viral content.

• The role of Youth IGF in digital capacity-building
Inspiring contributions from Kevin Mukendi and Jonathan Lubila (Youth IGF DRC), who encouraged youth to participate in digital policy discussions:

“Young people are not only the future of digital governance—they are the present.”

• An interactive session facilitated by Bingwa Civic Tech Lab
Led by Providence Baraka, this activity featured:

A “True or False?” game based on real viral posts from the region,
Practical exercises to detect manipulated content,
Discussions on how false information spreads during crises and how to avoid amplifying it.

Young women at the centre of digital empowerment
The session placed a strong emphasis on female participation. Among the participants, Bénédicte Cirimwami, a young IT graduate, shared an empowering message:

“Women play a crucial role in combating misinformation. We must learn, stay informed, and help others do the same.”

A renewed commitment to a safer digital space
In closing, Athanase Bahizire encouraged participants to become ambassadors of reliable information within their communities, by breaking disinformation/misinformation cycles.